Ammanford Urban District Council

Ammanford Urban District Council was a former local authority in Carmarthenshire. It was established under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1894 in 1903 and comprised parts of the parishes of Llandybie and Betws. It was created specifically as a result of the rapid population growth in the town as a result of the expansion of the Welsh anthracite coalfield.

Ammanford Urban District Council comprised fifteen councillors including a chairman and, following the initial election of fifteen members a third of the council stood down annually. The council, like other urban districts, was responsible for sanitation, sewerage, housing, streets, cemeteries, libraries, parks, and the licensing of public entertainments. The council was administered by a number of committees and by officers including a Clerk and Medical Officer of Health.

The council was abolished in 1974 and Ammanford became part of Dinefwr Borough Council

Election Results

1903 Election

In the first election, eight of the fifteen seats were won by labour candidates.^[1]

Ammanford Urban District 1903
	Candidate	Votes
	D.J. Jones	374
	Erne Hewlett	365
	William Nathaniel Jones	352
Labour	J. Morgan	345
Labour	John Davies	327
	Lt-Col David Morris	315
Labour	Evan Evans	311
Labour	Henry Davies	302
	Samuel Callard	300
	William Jones	285
Labour	David George	270
Labour	W. Rees	263
Labour	Thomas Fletcher	255
Labour	John Evan Jones	246
Labour	E. Jones	241
Labour	J. Cooper Davies	223
	T.L. Davies	201
	D. Davies	200
	Evan Evans	199
	H. Lewis	136
	B.R. Evans	124
	John Harries	123
	H. Davies	43

Elected: D J Jones, ironmonger (I); 374 E Hewlett, colliery manager (I); 3G; W N Jones, auctioneer (I); 352 J Morgans, haulier (Lab), 345; John Davies shearer (Lab); 327 Lieut-Col D Morris (Ind), 315; E. Evans, checkweigher (Lab); 311 Henry Davies, carpenter (Lab); 302 S Callard. Chemical Works (I); 300 Wm Jones, draper (I); 285 D George, collier, (Lab), 270; W Rees, annealer (Lab), 263 T Fletcher, rollerman (Lab), 256 J E Jones, collier (Lab), 246; E Jones, shearer (Lab), 241.

Non-elected J Cooper Davies, engineer (Lab), 223 T L Davies, baker (I), 201 D Thomas, builder (I), 200; E Evans, chemist (I), 199; H Lewis, hotel keeper (I), 136; B R Evans, draper (I), 124; John Harries, inn keeper (I), 123 ; H. Davies, weaver (I), 43.

1904 Election

Following the inaugural elections five labour candidates retired. two of them did not seek re-election and three of the five seats were won by Independent candidates.^[2]

Ammanford Urban District 1904
	Candidate	Votes
	William Evans	364
Labour	Thomas Fletcher*	289
	George Roblin	270
	J.R. Watkins	231
Labour	John Jones*	213
Labour	David George*	198
	B.R. Evans	197
	J.C. Shaw	175
	J.C. Davies	132
	D. Thomas	92
	Y. Williams	89
	W. Hodges	83

1905 Election

Four of the five retiring members were re-elected.^[3]

Ammanford Urban District 1905
	Candidate	Votes
	David Morris*	426
	William Jones*	359
Labour	Evan Evans*	352
	Benjamin Richard Evans	313
Labour	Henry Davies*	288
Labour	David George	267
	Samuel Callard*	197

1906 Election

D.J. Jones, who headed the poll at the first election in 1903 lost his seat.^[4]

Ammanford Urban District 1906
	Candidate	Votes
	David Jones*	398
	Erne Hewlett*	378
	Rev John Morgan*	349
	W.N. Jones*	301
	T.L. Davies	286
	T.G. Lewis	231
	D.J. Jones*	226
Labour	J. Davies*	219

1907 Election

Labour candidates fared badly in this election.^[5]

Ammanford Urban District 1907
	Candidate	Votes
	Thomas Fletcher*	453
	William Evans*	429
	George Robling*	421
	E. James	347
	John Davies	324
	David Jones	287
Labour	John Evan Jones	236
Labour	Thomas Evans	152
Labour	Jestyn Williams	146

1908 Election

Due to a vacancy, six candidates were returned at this election.^[6]

Ammanford Urban District 1908
	Candidate	Votes
	David Morris*	562
Labour	Evan Evans*	418
	David Jones*	409
	Rees Thomas	384
Labour	John Henry Lawley	269
Labour	John Evan Jones	263

1910 Election

A closely fought election saw one of the leading members of the authority defeated.^[7]

Ammanford Urban District 1910
	Candidate	Votes
	William Evans*	496
	James Darbyshire	471
	Thomas Fletcher*	471
	George Robling*	462
	John Davies*	392
	William Nathaniel Jones*	385
Labour	John Evan Jones	378

1911 Election

W.N. Jones regained his seat following a surprise defeat the previous year.^[7]

Ammanford Urban District 1911
	Candidate	Votes
	William Nathaniel Jones	550
	David Morris*	525
Labour	Evan Evans*	491
	David Jones*	454
Labour	John Evan Jones	426
Labour	David George	314
	George W. Davies	207
	John Lawley*	191

1912 Election

Four of the five retiring members were returned.^[7]

Ammanford Urban District 1912
	Candidate	Votes
	Erne Hewlett*	737
	Rev John Morgan*	564
Labour	John Harries*	417
	B.R. Evans*	402
	Joseph Clutton Shaw	374
	J.L. Davies*	339
	Sam Roberts	220
	D.Ll.Lloyd	194
	George W. Davies	192
	Joseph Joseph	117

1913 Election

In a somewhat heated campaign three of the five sitting members were defeated.^[7]

Ammanford Urban District 1913
	Candidate	Votes
	Evan Lewis	536
	James Darbyshire*	495
	Martin Davies	444
	William Evans*	406
	D. Griffiths Davies	403
	Thomas Fletcher*	376
Labour	David George*	360
	John Davies*	341
	B.W. Davies	298
	George W. Davies	266
	Arthur Rees	5

1914 Election

Although fourteen candidates sought election for the five seats, the election was described as a quiet affair with no public meetings.^[7]

Ammanford Urban District 1914
	Candidate	Votes
	William Nathaniel Jones*	595
	David Jones*	554
Labour	Evan Evans*	438
	Thomas Fletcher	436
	John Davies	343
	W. Lock Smith	342
Labour	David George*	322
Labour	John Evan Jones*	281
	Morgan Thomas	260
	J.L. Williams	259
	Tom Evans	222
	Tom Grey	212
	Owen Madden	155
	Joseph Joseph	115

1919 Election

Elections were postponed during the war and the first post-war election was fiercely contested between Labour and non-Labour candidates. The latter won all the seats.^[8]

Ammanford Urban District 1919
	Candidate	Votes
	Frank Dawson	1,124
Independent	Evan Lewis*	1,022
Independent	Thomas Lake	1,022
Independent	William Evans*	912
Independent	W. Lock Smith	878
Independent Labour	John Lawley	733
Labour	David George*	728
Labour	Samuel Waters	655
Labour	John Evan Jones*	649
Labour	Jeremiah Griffiths	438
Independent	Rees Taliesein Jones	347
	David John Edwards	307

References

^ "Ammanford". Carmarthen Journal. 8 May 1903. p. 5. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
^ "Ammanford". Carmarthen Journal. 1 April 1904. p. 8. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
^ "District Council Elections". Welshman. 8 April 1905. p. 8. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
^ "West Wales Elections. Urban Council Pollings". Cambrian. 6 April 1906. p. 8. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
^ "Urban District Council Elections". Carmarthen Weekly Reporter. 29 March 1907. p. 3. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
^ "Etholiadau". Tarian y Gweithiwr (in Welsh). 9 April 1908. p. 1. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Election Notes (editorial)". Amman Valley Chronicle. 9 April 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
^ "Local Election Results. Many Surprises". Amman Valley Chronicle. 10 April 1919. p. 4. Retrieved 3 November 2020.

[CJ_8-5-03-1] "Ammanford". Carmarthen Journal. 8 May 1903. p. 5. Retrieved 17 August 2020.

[CJ_1-4-04-2] "Ammanford". Carmarthen Journal. 1 April 1904. p. 8. Retrieved 8 October 2020.

[W_7-4-05-3] "District Council Elections". Welshman. 8 April 1905. p. 8. Retrieved 10 October 2020.

[Camb_6-4-06-4] "West Wales Elections. Urban Council Pollings". Cambrian. 6 April 1906. p. 8. Retrieved 12 October 2020.

[CWR_29-3-07-5] "Urban District Council Elections". Carmarthen Weekly Reporter. 29 March 1907. p. 3. Retrieved 12 August 2020.

[TG_9-4-08-6] "Etholiadau". Tarian y Gweithiwr (in Welsh). 9 April 1908. p. 1. Retrieved 15 October 2020.

[AVC_edit_9-4-14-7] "Election Notes (editorial)". Amman Valley Chronicle. 9 April 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 7 October 2020.

[AVC_edit_10-4-149-8] "Local Election Results. Many Surprises". Amman Valley Chronicle. 10 April 1919. p. 4. Retrieved 3 November 2020.

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