Torfaen County Borough Council () is the local authority for the county borough of Torfaen, one of the principal areas of Wales.
The borough council was created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as a lower-tier district council with borough status. Gwent County Council provided county-level services for the area. The county council was abolished in 1996 and Torfaen became a principal area with county borough status, with the council taking over the functions previously performed by the county council.
Borough status allows Torfaen to give the chair of the council the title of mayor. However, the council discontinued the role of mayor in 2018. A presiding member role has been created instead to chair meetings.
In June 2024 the council agreed to share a chief executive with neighbouring Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council. Torfaen's existing chief executive, Stephen Vickers, was subsequently appointed to the role of joint chief executive for the two councils from January 2025.
The council has been under Labour majority control since 2012.
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 since 1974 has been as follows:
Lower-tier borough
County borough
The leaders of the council since have been:
Following the 2022 election, by-elections in February 2023 and 2025, and changes of allegiance in April 2023 and August 2024, the composition of the council was:
Of the independent councillors, five sit together as the 'Independent Group', and the other three sit together as the 'Torfaen Independent Group'. The next election is due in 2027.
The council is based at the Civic Centre on Hanbury Road in Pontypool, comprising Pontypool Town Hall, built in 1856, and a large extension to it which was built in 1991. Between 1996 and 2012, the council also used the six-storey former Gwent County Hall at Croesyceiliog, Cwmbran, sharing the building with Monmouthshire County Council. County Hall closed because of "concrete cancer" and was later demolished, with the council consolidating its offices at the Civic Centre in Pontypool.
The roles of mayor and deputy mayor were removed from the council in May 2018 as part of the 2018/19 budget. Instead, the council created the post of Presiding Member and Deputy Presiding Member to chair council meetings. From May 2018, the roles and functions undertaken by a mayor have been undertaken by the leader of the council and cabinet members.
The mayors of Torfaen from 1974 until the post's abolition in 2018 were:
1974âÂÂ1974: G M Day<br> 1974âÂÂ1975: D B Richards<br> 1975âÂÂ1976: M L Lee<br> 1976âÂÂ1977: D W Puddle<br> 1977âÂÂ1978: G S R Powell<br> 1978âÂÂ1979: S E A James<br> 1979âÂÂ1980: A J Davies<br> 1980âÂÂ1981: G S Evans<br> 1981âÂÂ1982: K Morgan<br> 1982âÂÂ1983: P Roberts<br> 1983âÂÂ1984: G I Davies<br> 1984âÂÂ1985: C Little<br> 1985âÂÂ1986: H J Rosser<br> 1986âÂÂ1986: C G Thomas<br> 1986âÂÂ1988: D J Lloyd<br> 1988âÂÂ1989: W M Howell<br> 1989âÂÂ1990: B J Cunningham<br> 1990âÂÂ1991: S Richards<br> 1991âÂÂ1992: D J Rex<br> 1992âÂÂ1993: T Davies<br> 1993âÂÂ1994: F H Bacon<br> 1994âÂÂ1995: M H Morgan<br> 1995âÂÂ1996: D Miller<br> 1996âÂÂ1997: S Smith<br> 1997âÂÂ1998: S J Brooks<br> 1998âÂÂ1999: K Edmunds<br> 1999âÂÂ2000: B I Ryan<br> 2000âÂÂ2001: G R Clark<br> 2001âÂÂ2002: C Thomas<br> 2002âÂÂ2003: Jack Everson<br> 2003âÂÂ2004: Doug Davies<br> 2004âÂÂ2005: Yvonne Warren<br> 2005âÂÂ2006: Lyndon Irwin<br> 2006âÂÂ2007: Mary Barnett<br> 2007âÂÂ2008: Bill King<br> 2008âÂÂ2009: Nye James<br> 2009âÂÂ2010: Bob Jones<br> 2010âÂÂ2011: Tom Huish<br> 2011âÂÂ2012: Philip Seabourne<br> 2012âÂÂ2013: Wayne Tomlinson<br> 2013âÂÂ2014: Neil Mason<br> 2014âÂÂ2015: Mandy Owen<br> 2015âÂÂ2016: Giles Davies<br> 2016âÂÂ2017: Veronica Crick<br> 2017âÂÂ2018: Jessica Powell<br>
The county borough is divided into 20 electoral wards, returning 40 councillors. There are 6 elected community councils in the region. The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with a community council are indicated with a '*':