View source for Islwyn

{{Short description|Former district of Gwent, Wales}}
{{otheruses}}
{{Infobox historic subdivision|
   |Name=              Islwyn
   |Map=               Islwyn au pays de Galles (1974-1996).svg
   |HQ=                [[Pontllanfraith]]
   |Status=            [[Districts of Wales|Borough]]
   |Start=             1 April 1974
   |End=               31 March 1996
   |Replace=           [[Caerphilly County Borough]]
   |Civic=<!-- Deleted image removed:              [[Image:Islwyn arms.png|200px|Arms of Islwyn Borough Council]] -->
}}

The '''Borough of Islwyn''' was one of five local government [[districts of Wales|districts]] of [[Gwent (county)|Gwent]] from 1974 to 1996.<ref name=Arch>{{cite web|title=Gwent Archives Islwyn Borough Council Records|url=http://www.archiveswales.org.uk/anw/get_collection.php?inst_id=36&coll_id=76783&expand=|website=www.archiveswales.org.uk|access-date=4 April 2016}}</ref>

==History==
The borough was formed in 1974 as a local government [[Districts of Wales|district]] of [[Gwent (county)|Gwent]]. It covered the whole area of three former districts and part of a fourth, which were all abolished at the same time:
*[[Abercarn]] [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|Urban District]]
*[[Bedwellty]] Urban District - the [[Argoed, Caerphilly|Argoed]], [[Blackwood, Caerphilly|Blackwood]], [[Cefn Fforest]], and [[Pengam]] wards only (rest became [[New Tredegar]] community in [[Rhymney Valley (district)|Rhymney Valley]])
*[[Mynyddislwyn]] Urban District
*[[Risca]] Urban District
All the constituent parts of Islwyn had previously been in the [[administrative county]] of [[Monmouthshire (historic)|Monmouthshire]] prior to the reforms. [[Gwent County Council]] provided county-level services to the new borough.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1972|year=1972|chapter=70|accessdate=6 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Districts in Wales (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=34|accessdate=4 October 2022}}</ref>

The district was named after local poet [[William Thomas (Islwyn)|William Thomas]] (1832–1878), who used the [[pen name|bardic name]] 'Islwyn'.<ref>{{cite news|title=A Borough for the Bard?|newspaper=Gwent Gazette|date=5 May 1972|page=11|author=Brinley Evans (Arael)}}</ref> Islwyn (meaning "below the grove") was part of the name of the ancient parish of Mynyddislwyn which covered its area. This was shown in the borough's [[coat of arms]] which represented a mountain below a grove of oak trees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/wales_7496.html|title=Wales 1974 to 1996 (obsolete)|work=Civic Heraldry of England and Wales|accessdate=12 May 2025}}</ref>

The borough was abolished in 1996, when its area became part of [[Caerphilly County Borough]].<ref name=Arch/>

Islwyn continued as a [[Islwyn (UK Parliament constituency)|Westminster constituency]] until the 2024 general election,<ref>{{Cite legislation UK |type=si |year=2023 |number=1230 |si=The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023 |date=15 November 2023 |accessdate=21 October 2025 }}</ref> and will continue as a [[Islwyn (Senedd constituency)|Senedd constituency]] until the 2026 Senedd election.<ref>{{Cite legislation Wales |type=seneddact |year=2024 |title=Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 |date=24 June 2024 |accessdate=21 October 2025}}</ref> The Westminster constituency's best-known MP was [[Neil Kinnock]].

==Political control==
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council from 1974 until its abolition in 1996 was as follows:<ref name=compositions>{{cite web |title=Compositions Calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/composition_calc.html |access-date=21 May 2025 |website=The Elections Centre |publisher=University of Exeter}} (Put "Islwyn" in search box to see specific results.)</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Party in control!!Years
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Welsh Labour}} || 1974–1976
|-
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} || 1976–1979
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Welsh Labour}} || 1979–1996
|}

==Premises==
[[File:Pontllanfraith House - geograph.org.uk - 2240025.jpg|thumb|Pontllanfraith House: Council's headquarters, built 1977]]
The council built itself a new headquarters in 1977 at Pontllanfraith House on Blackwood Road in [[Pontllanfraith]]. The building subsequently served as offices for Caerphilly County Borough Council until 2015 and has since been demolished.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pontllanfraith House Site Development Brief |url=https://www.caerphilly.gov.uk/CaerphillyDocs/Planning/Pontllanfraith_House_Site_Development_Brief.aspx |website=Caerphilly County Borough Council |access-date=12 October 2022 |date=2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Caerphilly Council's Pontllanfraith House closure takes a step closer |url=https://caerphilly.observer/news/949347/caerphilly-councils-pontllanfraith-house-closure-takes-a-step-closer/ |access-date=12 October 2022 |work=Caerphilly Observer |date=23 January 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Wales Districts}}
{{Gwent elections}}

{{coord|51.64|N|3.15|W|display=title}}

[[Category:Gwent (county)]]
[[Category:Districts of Wales abolished in 1996]]
[[Category:1974 establishments in Wales]]