Conwy County Borough Council
Conwy County Borough Council is the local authority for Conwy County Borough, one of the principal areas of Wales.
History
Conwy County Borough was created in 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, which replaced the previous two tier system of counties and districts with principal areas, whose councils perform the functions previously divided between the county and district councils. The county borough of Conwy was created to cover the area of the district of Aberconwy from the county of Gwynedd and the district of Colwyn from the county of Clwyd, except for the parishes of Cefnmeiriadog and Trefnant, which went to the Denbighshire. The government originally named the new area "Aberconwy and Colwyn". During the transition to the new system, the shadow authority requested a change of name from "Aberconwy and Colwyn" to "Conwy", taking the name from both the River Conwy which runs through the area and the town of Conwy, where the new council initially established its headquarters. The government confirmed the change with effect from 2 April 1996, one day after the new council came into being.Political control
The first election to the new council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1996 has been as follows:Leadership
The leaders of the council since 2005 have been:Composition
Following the 2022 [Conwy County Borough Council election|2022 election] and subsequent changes of allegiance up to July 2025, the composition of the council was:Of the independent councillors, 18 sit together as the "Conwy First Independent Group", two sit as the "Allied Independents", two form the "Citizens First Alliance", and two are not aligned to any group. The Green councillor sits with Plaid Cymru as the "Plaid Cymru a'r Blaid Werdd" group. Cabinet positions are held by members of the Conwy First Independent, Labour and Plaid Cymru a'r Blaid Werdd groups. The next election is due in 2027.
Elections
Since 2012, elections have been held every five years.| Year | Seats | Independent | Labour | Conservative | Plaid Cymru | Liberal Democrats | Green | Notes |
| Year | Seats | Notes | ||||||
| 1995 Conwy [County Borough Council election|1995] | 59 | 13 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 18 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 59 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 0 | New ward boundaries. |
| 2004 | 59 | 19 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 59 | 14 | 7 | 22 | 12 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 59 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 59 | 21 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 55 | 22 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 1 | New ward boundaries. |
Party with the most elected councillors in bold. Coalition agreements in notes column.
Premises
The council is based at Coed Pella on Conway Road in Colwyn Bay, which was purpose-built for the council and was completed in 2018.From the council's creation in 1996 until 2025, the council's headquarters was Bodlondeb, which was built as a house in 1877 on Bangor Road in Conwy, just outside the town walls and set in substantial grounds stretching down to the River Conwy. The house had been bought in 1937 by the former Conwy Municipal Borough Council and converted into a civic centre. The building passed to Aberconwy District Council under the 1974 reforms and then to Conwy County Borough Council on its creation in 1996. The new Coed Pella building in Colwyn Bay initially served as an additional office space, with Bodlondeb remaining the council's official headquarters and main meeting place. In 2025 the council closed Bodlondeb, having consolidated its functions and main meeting place at Coed Pella.