Photo: Betty Longbottom · CC BY-SA 2.0Labour holds a majority on Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Aberdare is run by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Labour has a majority on Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Its MP is Gerald Jones (Labour), member for Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare.
£2,289
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Aberdare’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Labour holds a majority on Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council: 59 of its 75 seats as elected. Plaid Cymru holds 8, independents 6 and the Conservatives 2. Who’s in charge ↓
Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and Welsh Government council tax.
Who holds the seats
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 38 of Rhondda Cynon Taf’s 75 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour59
- Plaid Cymru8
- Independent6
- Conservative2
Latest election: May 2022.
Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.
The councils that run Aberdare
One council runs every main service in a Welsh county or county borough.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Website ↗Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: here one council runs every main service.
Every part of Wales is in a community; many have a community or town council, which the county council lists. Aberdare’s communities: Aberdare West, Aberdare East, Aberaman North, Cwmbach, Aberaman South and Hirwaun.
Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.
From the council to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Aberdare, from the most recent elections.
- 1Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council6 wards · 13 councillorsLabour 11 · Plaid Cymru 2 · all 13
- 2Police and crime commissionerSouth Wales Police · elected May 2024Emma Wools
- 3SeneddPontypridd Cynon Merthyr · 6 membersVikki HowellsHeledd FychanJason O'ConnellLis McLeanDavid HughesSara Crowley
- 4House of CommonsMerthyr Tydfil and Aberdare
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.
13 councillors for 6 wards
Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.
- Julie CookLabour · May 2022
- Tina WilliamsLabour · May 2022
- Sheryl EvansLabour · May 2022
- Ann CrimmingsLabour · May 2022
- Gareth JonesLabour · May 2022
- Sharon ReesLabour · May 2022
- Steve BradwickLabour · May 2022
- Victoria DunnLabour · May 2022
- Jeffrey Alan ElliottLabour · May 2022
- Mustapha MaohoubLabour · May 2022
- Karen MorganPlaid Cymru · May 2022
- Adam Owain RogersPlaid Cymru · May 2022
- Louisa AddiscottLabour · May 2022
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberamanall in Aberdare · 9,690 residents3 seats · May 2022 | 3 | Julie CookTina WilliamsSheryl Evans | May 2022 |
| Aberdare West and Llwydcoedall in Aberdare · 9,196 residents3 seats · May 2022 | 3 | Ann CrimmingsGareth JonesSharon Rees | May 2022 |
| Aberdare Eastall in Aberdare · 6,570 residents2 seats · May 2022 | 2 | Steve BradwickVictoria Dunn | May 2022 |
| Cwmbachmostly in Aberdare · 4,851 residents2 seats · May 2022 | 2 | Jeffrey Alan ElliottMustapha Maohoub | May 2022 |
| Hirwaun, Penderyn and Rhigosmostly in Aberdare · 4,394 residents2 seats · May 2022 | 2 | Karen MorganAdam Owain Rogers | May 2022 |
| Pen-y-waunall in Aberdare · 2,974 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Louisa Addiscott | May 2022 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council’s website lists who sits now.
Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).
Rhondda Cynon Taf council election, May 2022
Results in the wards that make up Aberdare, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
6 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Aberdare’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗5,627 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
5,724 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
2,804 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (3 more)
2,099 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,922 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
506 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Aberdare is in Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Aberdare).
35,215 votes for candidates · majority 7,447
Labour, MP since 7 May 2015.
turnout in July 2024: 35,215 votes from 74,460 registered voters. Wales: 56%.
Majority 7,447 of 35,215 votes (21.1%): wider than in 59% of Wales’s 32 constituencies.
MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.
Members of the Senedd for Aberdare
Wales’s parliament: health, education, local government and transport in Wales. Elected 7 May 2026 under the new system of 16 six-member constituencies.
Votes are cast for party lists; seats go to lists in proportion (the D’Hondt method). Bars show seats won: list vote totals aren’t in the data yet.
All of Aberdare is in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0). Constituencies from ONS (Senedd constituencies 2026).
Aberdare’s Band D council tax is £2,289 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council sets £1,845.27 of a Band D bill (81%); the rest goes to community councils and the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner.
Your bill by band
The average Band D home in Rhondda Cynon Taf, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Mid Glamorgan’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,100.
Revenue budgets 2026–27 including schools (Wales has no academies), Welsh Government; per resident on the Welsh Government’s population. Police and fire are budgeted separately.
Band D: Welsh Government, Council tax levels April 2026 to March 2027.
Having a say in how Aberdare is run
It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.
gov.uk ↗Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.
WriteToThem ↗GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.
gov.uk ↗Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.
rctcbc.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
rctcbc.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Aberdare is run
Who is the MP for Aberdare?
Gerald Jones (Labour) is the MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare, which covers Aberdare.
How many councillors does Aberdare have?
13 ward councillors represent Aberdare’s 6 wards.
When are the next elections in Aberdare?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Aberdare’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029; the next Senedd election is due in May 2030.
How much is council tax in Aberdare?
Band D council tax in Aberdare is £2,289 for 2026–27 (the council average). Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council?
Labour has a majority: 59 of 75 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2022 council election in Aberdare?
In Aberdare’s wards on 5 May 2022, Labour 11 · Plaid Cymru 2 of the 13 seats up. Labour had the largest share of votes, 69.1%.
Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency and Senedd constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · Welsh Government council tax levels and revenue budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.