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Town Hall & politics · Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council

Labour holds a majority on Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council

Porth is run by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Labour has a majority on Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Most of Porth is in Rhondda and Ogmore (MP Chris Bryant, Labour); 2% of residents are in Pontypridd (MP Alex Davies-Jones, Labour).

Council tax 2026–27

£2,289

Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.

Where it goes →
Band D council tax
£2,289
2026–27, a year · council average
Ward councillors
6
3 wards · Rhondda Cynon Taf
MPs
2
constituencies cover the town
Turnout, July 2024
48%
Rhondda and Ogmore · Wales 56%
What stands out · In brief

How Porth’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’s in charge

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.

Council · 75 councillorsRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough CouncilLabour majority
LabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourPlaid CymruPlaid CymruPlaid CymruPlaid CymruPlaid CymruPlaid CymruPlaid CymruPlaid CymruIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentConservativeConservative75seats
  • Labour59
  • Plaid Cymru8
  • Independent6
  • Conservative2

Latest election: May 2022.

LabourPlaid CymruIndependentConservative

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.

Who runs Porth

The councils that run Porth

One council runs every main service in a Welsh county or county borough.

County or county borough councilRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council

Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.

Website ↗

Who to ask

Bins and recyclingRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Planning applicationsRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Council housing and homelessnessRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Council tax billsRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Parks and leisure centresRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Potholes, roads and streetlightsRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Schools and school placesRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Adult and children’s social careRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
LibrariesRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Tips and recycling centresRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Police priorities and budgetSouth Wales Police police and crime commissioner

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. Porth’s communities: Porth, Cymmer, Ynyshir and Trehafod.

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.

Who represents Porth

From the council to Westminster

Every elected tier that speaks for Porth, from the most recent elections.

  1. 1
    Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council3 wards · 6 councillors
    Gareth CapleRyan EvansSarah HickmanRos DavisJulie EdwardsRob Bevan
  2. 2
    Police and crime commissionerSouth Wales Police · elected May 2024
    Emma Wools
  3. 3
    SeneddAfan Ogwr Rhondda · 6 members
    Huw Irranca-DaviesSera EvansBenjamin Hodge McKennaAlun CoxSteve BaylissElyn Stephens
  4. 4
    SeneddPontypridd Cynon Merthyr · 6 members
    Vikki HowellsHeledd FychanJason O'ConnellLis McLeanDavid HughesSara Crowley
  5. 5
    House of CommonsSplit between 2 constituencies
LabourReform UKPlaid Cymru

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.

Councillors

6 councillors for 3 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.

CymerPorthTylorstown and Ynyshir
Each dot is a group of postcodes, shaded by the party that won its ward’s latest election. Tap a ward for its councillors.
Cymer
5,743 residents
  • Gareth CapleLabour · May 2022
  • Ryan EvansLabour · May 2022
Porth
5,461 residents
  • Sarah HickmanLabour · May 2022
  • Ros DavisLabour · May 2022
Tylorstown and Ynyshir
2,148 residents · 29% in Porth
  • Julie EdwardsLabour · May 2022
  • Rob BevanLabour · May 2022
Labour
Show as a table
WardSeatsElectedWhen
Cymerall in Porth · 5,743 residents2 seats · May 20222
Gareth CapleRyan Evans
May 2022
Porthall in Porth · 5,461 residents2 seats · May 20222
Sarah HickmanRos Davis
May 2022
Tylorstown and Ynyshir29% in Porth · 2,148 residents2 seats · May 20222
Julie EdwardsRob Bevan
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).

Local elections

Rhondda Cynon Taf council election, May 2022

Results in the wards that make up Porth, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.

Seats won in Porth’s wards6 seats · 5 May 2022
Labour6

3 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.

Next elections

No election is scheduled yet for Porth’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.

Who can I vote for? ↗
Cymer5 May 2022
Gareth Caple ElectedLabour39.3%
Ryan Evans ElectedLabour33.0%
Nicole GriffithsPlaid Cymru15.2%
Owen CutlerPlaid Cymru12.4%

2,530 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each

Porth5 May 2022
Sarah Hickman ElectedLabour26.8%
Ros Davis ElectedLabour25.4%
Julie WilliamsPlaid Cymru22.7%
Alun CoxPlaid Cymru21.2%
Rachel PedleyGreen2.3%
Melanie Anne HillPropel1.6%

3,113 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each

Tylorstown and Ynyshir5 May 2022
Julie Edwards ElectedLabour40.9%
Rob Bevan ElectedLabour38.7%
Philip LewisPlaid Cymru15.5%
Merfyn ReaConservative4.9%

3,067 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each

LabourConservativeGreenPlaid CymruOther parties

Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.

Parliament

Porth is split between 2 constituencies

The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.

MP for Rhondda and Ogmore

Labour, MP since 7 June 2001

98% of Porth’s residents live in this constituency.

Turnout 48% (Wales 56%).

Majority 7,790 of 35,806 votes (21.8%): wider than in 66% of Wales’s 32 constituencies.

MP for Pontypridd

Labour, MP since 12 December 2019

2% of Porth’s residents live in this constituency.

Turnout 52% (Wales 56%).

Majority 8,402 of 39,378 votes (21.3%): wider than in 63% of Wales’s 32 constituencies.

Rhondda and Ogmore · general election4 July 2024
Chris Bryant ElectedLabour47.8%
Darren JamesReform UK26.1%
Owen CutlerPlaid Cymru14.5%
Adam RobinsonConservative5.7%
Christine GlossopGreen3.3%
Gerald FrancisLiberal Democrat2.6%

35,806 votes for candidates · majority 7,790

98% of Porth · MP for Rhondda and Ogmore

Chris Bryant

Labour, MP since 7 June 2001.

48%

turnout in July 2024: 35,806 votes from 74,493 registered voters. Wales: 56%.

Majority 7,790 of 35,806 votes (21.8%): wider than in 66% of Wales’s 32 constituencies.

Pontypridd

Pontypridd · general election4 July 2024
Alex Davies-Jones ElectedLabour41.2%
Steven BaylissReform UK19.9%
William ReesPlaid Cymru13.4%
Jack RobsonConservative9.6%
Wayne OwenIndependent6.5%
Angela KaradogGreen4.7%
David MathiasLiberal Democrat4.1%
Joe BiddulphIndependent0.5%
Jonathan BishopIndependent0.1%

39,378 votes for candidates · majority 8,402

2% of Porth · MP for Pontypridd

Alex Davies-Jones

Labour, MP since 12 December 2019.

52%

turnout in July 2024: 39,378 votes from 75,951 registered voters. Wales: 56%.

Majority 8,402 of 39,378 votes (21.3%): wider than in 63% of Wales’s 32 constituencies.

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratReform UKGreenPlaid CymruIndependent

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.

Senedd Cymru

Members of the Senedd for Porth

Wales’s parliament: health, education, local government and transport in Wales. Elected 7 May 2026 under the new system of 16 six-member constituencies.

Afan Ogwr Rhondda7 May 2026
Plaid Cymru3 members elected3 of 6
Reform UK2 members elected2 of 6
Labour1 member elected1 of 6

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.

6 members of the Senedd
Huw Irranca-DaviesSera EvansBenjamin Hodge McKennaAlun CoxSteve BaylissElyn Stephens

98% of Porth is in Afan Ogwr Rhondda.

Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr7 May 2026
Plaid Cymru3 members elected3 of 6
Reform UK2 members elected2 of 6
Labour1 member elected1 of 6

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.

6 members of the Senedd
Vikki HowellsHeledd FychanJason O'ConnellLis McLeanDavid HughesSara Crowley

2% of Porth is in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr.

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratReform UKGreenPlaid CymruIndependentOther parties

Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0). Constituencies from ONS (Senedd constituencies 2026).

Council money

Porth’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.

COUNCIL TAXBand D · 2026–27 · the average Band D home in Rhondda Cynon Taf
Community councilsaverage across Rhondda Cynon Taf£39.02
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Councilcounty or county borough£1,845.27
South Wales Police and Crime Commissionerpolice£405.14
A year£2,289.43
Bills by band run from 6/9 of Band D (Band A) to 18/9 (Band H) and 21/9 (Band I) in Wales. Discounts and support reduce many bills.

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

Band A 6/9£1,526
Band B 7/9£1,781
Band C 8/9£2,035
Band D 9/9£2,289
Band E 11/9£2,798
Band F 13/9£3,307
Band G 15/9£3,816
Band H 18/9£4,579
Band I 21/9£5,342

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

Rhondda Cynon Taf£2,289
Bridgend£2,478
Merthyr Tydfil£2,594

Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,100.

Council budget per resident
£3,588
Rhondda Cynon Taf, 2026–27
Mid Glamorgan councils
£3,530
per resident
Wales
£3,367
per resident

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.

Get involved

Having a say in how Porth is run

Register to vote

It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.

gov.uk ↗
Contact your councillors or MP

Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.

WriteToThem ↗
Report a pothole or a broken streetlight

GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.

gov.uk ↗
Watch or speak at a council meeting

Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.

rctcbc.gov.uk ↗
Comment on a planning application

Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.

rctcbc.gov.uk ↗
Stand for election

The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.

Electoral Commission ↗

Questions about how Porth is run

Who is the MP for Porth?

Porth is split between 2 constituencies: Rhondda and Ogmore (Chris Bryant, Labour) and Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones, Labour). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.

How many councillors does Porth have?

6 ward councillors represent Porth’s 3 wards.

When are the next elections in Porth?

No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Porth’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 Porth?

Band D council tax in Porth 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 Porth?

In Porth’s wards on 5 May 2022, Labour 6 of the 6 seats up. Labour had the largest share of votes, 67.7%.

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.