Sketty
Encyclopedia
Sketty is the name of an electoral ward, a community
and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea
, Wales
, UK. The community
is coterminous with the electoral ward.
It is bounded to the following parishes
: North by Cockett
, East by Uplands
, South by the coast, South West by Mumbles
and West by Killay
. It does not have a Community Council
.
The electoral ward is divided into a number of polling districts by the City and County of Swansea. They are Tycoch, Sketty Park, Vivian Road, Sketty Green, Derwen Fawr, Gwerneinon. It is the largest ward in the UK Parliament and Welsh Assembly Swansea West
. It is bounded by the other Swansea electoral wards of Mayals
to the south; Killay South
and Killay North
to the west; Cockett
to the north; Uplands
to the east; and Swansea Bay
to the south east.
Sketty could also be described as consisting of some or all of the following areas: Carnglas, Clyne Valley
(Gwerneinon), Derwen Fawr
, Hendrefoilan
, Killay
, Singleton Park
, Sketty
, Tycoch
, Cwmgwyn, A very small part of the Cockett
postal district is in the Sketty community, and a part of the Sketty postal district is in the Uplands community.
Due to the large size of Sketty, there are recognisable sub-divisions of Sketty. Whilst the boundaries used for electoral or postal purposes are clearly defined, although they do not always correspond, in the public mind the boundaries are not totally clear. Indeed many residents of some of the sub-divisions would describe themselves as a residents of the sub-division rather than use the term Sketty. Indeed residents of the western part of the Uplands would consider their vicinity as part of "Sketty", as indeed would the post office.
The three main UK-wide parties seem to have reasonable local infrastructures in the area, and have contested the vast majority of seats since the first elections to the City and County of Swansea authority in 1995. The Conservative Party
, which only contested four out of five seats in 1999, is an exception. A defeated independent candidate in those elections then stood, and won, as an official Conservative candidate in a 2000 by-election. Plaid Cymru
, whilst it has not contested every seat, contests every election. There have in the past been a small number of non-party candidates, and in the 2004 elections the Green Party
also put up a full slate of five candidates.
The area has seen considerable electoral volatility, and there appears to be evidence of split ticket voting. Whilst party factors remain strong, there seems to be evidence of voters taking into account other factors, such as personality and perhaps geographic factors due to the size of the ward. In recent elections, (post 1995) whilst there is evidence of considerable voting shifts between parties, no party has ever had the igmony of its vote completely collapsing, and the area has seen some hotly contested local elections.
In 1995, the ward elected four councillors. This election was a "mid-term election" towards the end of the Conservative period in Government. Labour
won three seats, and an Independent candidate one one. The Independent councillor later joined the Liberal Democrats
. These elections were probably the worst for the Conservative Party in the area, and the best for Labour.
In 1999, the ward elected five councillors. This election was held the same day as the first elections to the National Assembly for Wales
, and was set against a controversial backdrop concerning a Welsh Labour leadership election, and the Labour vote predictably suffered. The results were the most eclectic seen. The Conservatives won two seats, the Liberal Democrats also won two seats and Labour won one.
In 2000, there was a by-election caused by the death of the Labour Councillor. The seat was then won by the Conservatives. This election confirmed the previous year's re-emergence of the Conservatives, although of course this election took place on a lower turnout than the other elections.
In 2004, the ward again elected five councillors. These elections were set against the national backdrop of a controversial war in Iraq, and the local backdrop of the closure of Swansea Leisure Centre. These elections saw Labour
lose control, and a coalition of Liberal Democrats
, Conservatives
, and independents take control of Swansea Council, the main local issue at the time was a planning issue concerning a proposed ASDA store in Derwen Fawr; however, there was little if any dispute between the parties on this matter. In Sketty, the Conservatives won two seats and the Liberal Democrats won three. In 2007, one of the two conservative councillors became an Independent when the Conservastive group left the ruling coalition. He joined the Liberal Democrats in 2008.
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, UK. The community
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
is coterminous with the electoral ward.
It is bounded to the following parishes
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
: North by Cockett
Cockett
Cockett is a community in Swansea, Wales falling within Cockett ward. It is located about north west of Swansea city centre.Cockett, in common with much of western Swansea, was the result of late Victorian and early twentieth century expansion...
, East by Uplands
Uplands, Swansea
Uplands is a suburb of Swansea, Wales. It lies about a mile to the west of Swansea city centre, and falls within the Uplands electoral ward. It is centred around the A4118 road, which links Swansea city centre and Sketty. The main road begins as Walter Road from the east, and becomes Sketty Road...
, South by the coast, South West by Mumbles
Mumbles
Mumbles or The Mumbles is an area and community in Swansea, Wales which takes its name from the adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay...
and West by Killay
Killay
Killay is the name of a suburb and local government community in Swansea, Wales. Killay has its own community council. The village is set high above sea level, about 3.5 miles west of Swansea city centre....
. It does not have a Community Council
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
.
The electoral ward is divided into a number of polling districts by the City and County of Swansea. They are Tycoch, Sketty Park, Vivian Road, Sketty Green, Derwen Fawr, Gwerneinon. It is the largest ward in the UK Parliament and Welsh Assembly Swansea West
Swansea West (UK Parliament constituency)
Swansea West is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. It is bounded by the other Swansea electoral wards of Mayals
Mayals (electoral ward)
Mayals is the name of an electoral ward of the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. It is also part of the Mumbles Community.The electoral ward consists of some or all of the following geographical areas: Blackpill, Mayals and part of West Cross, in the parliamentary constituency of Swansea West...
to the south; Killay South
Killay South
Killay South is an electoral ward in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. The ward is mainly rural and consists of some or all of the following areas: Dunvant, Ilston, Killay, Sketty and Upper Killay in the parliamentary constituency of Swansea West....
and Killay North
Killay North
Killay North is an electoral ward in the City and County of Swansea, Wales which consists of some or all of the following areas: Killay, Olchfa and Waunarlwydd, in the parliamentary constituency of Swansea West...
to the west; Cockett
Cockett (electoral ward)
Cockett is the name of an electoral ward and a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community does not have a community council....
to the north; Uplands
Uplands (electoral ward)
Uplands is name of an electoral ward, a community and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The Uplands community does not have a community council....
to the east; and Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay is a bay on the Bristol Channel on the South Wales coast. Places on the bay include Mumbles, Swansea and Port Talbot. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan and Blackpill stream flow into the bay....
to the south east.
Sketty could also be described as consisting of some or all of the following areas: Carnglas, Clyne Valley
Clyne Valley Country Park
The Clyne Valley Country Park is an area of parkland in Britain, at Swansea in south Wales. It lies on either side of the valley of the Clyne River and comprises an area of over 700 acres of land running from the sea at Blackpill, Swansea, inland to Gowerton...
(Gwerneinon), Derwen Fawr
Sketty
Sketty is the name of an electoral ward, a community and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community is coterminous with the electoral ward....
, Hendrefoilan
Hendrefoilan
Hendrefoilan is an area in Swansea, south Wales. The area overlaps the Northwest of Sketty and eastern Killay communities.The western part is often known as Student Village. The Student Village is on the West bank of the Olchfa stream, so is in fact in Killay. It is part of a Satellite Campus of...
, Killay
Killay
Killay is the name of a suburb and local government community in Swansea, Wales. Killay has its own community council. The village is set high above sea level, about 3.5 miles west of Swansea city centre....
, Singleton Park
Singleton Park
Singleton Park is the largest urban park in the city of Swansea and is located in Sketty. The park has hosted many entertainment and cultural events such as Party in the Park and Proms in the Park which were regular events by local stations The Wave & Swansea Sound and other music events held by...
, Sketty
Sketty
Sketty is the name of an electoral ward, a community and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community is coterminous with the electoral ward....
, Tycoch
Tycoch
Tycoch is a suburban district of the City and County of Swansea in Wales. It is situated in the Sketty ward of the city, north-west of Sketty Cross. The area is chiefly residential...
, Cwmgwyn, A very small part of the Cockett
Cockett
Cockett is a community in Swansea, Wales falling within Cockett ward. It is located about north west of Swansea city centre.Cockett, in common with much of western Swansea, was the result of late Victorian and early twentieth century expansion...
postal district is in the Sketty community, and a part of the Sketty postal district is in the Uplands community.
Due to the large size of Sketty, there are recognisable sub-divisions of Sketty. Whilst the boundaries used for electoral or postal purposes are clearly defined, although they do not always correspond, in the public mind the boundaries are not totally clear. Indeed many residents of some of the sub-divisions would describe themselves as a residents of the sub-division rather than use the term Sketty. Indeed residents of the western part of the Uplands would consider their vicinity as part of "Sketty", as indeed would the post office.
Politics
The Sketty Ward is the largest in the Swansea West Parliamentary/ Welsh Assembly Constituency, and is one of only two five member wards for the purposes of City and County of Swansea Elections. This single ward five member structure allows the electorate to vote for up to five candidates, and electors are free to either put all their votes behind one party or to split their vote between parties.The three main UK-wide parties seem to have reasonable local infrastructures in the area, and have contested the vast majority of seats since the first elections to the City and County of Swansea authority in 1995. The Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, which only contested four out of five seats in 1999, is an exception. A defeated independent candidate in those elections then stood, and won, as an official Conservative candidate in a 2000 by-election. Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
, whilst it has not contested every seat, contests every election. There have in the past been a small number of non-party candidates, and in the 2004 elections the Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
also put up a full slate of five candidates.
The area has seen considerable electoral volatility, and there appears to be evidence of split ticket voting. Whilst party factors remain strong, there seems to be evidence of voters taking into account other factors, such as personality and perhaps geographic factors due to the size of the ward. In recent elections, (post 1995) whilst there is evidence of considerable voting shifts between parties, no party has ever had the igmony of its vote completely collapsing, and the area has seen some hotly contested local elections.
In 1995, the ward elected four councillors. This election was a "mid-term election" towards the end of the Conservative period in Government. Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
won three seats, and an Independent candidate one one. The Independent councillor later joined the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
. These elections were probably the worst for the Conservative Party in the area, and the best for Labour.
In 1999, the ward elected five councillors. This election was held the same day as the first elections to the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
, and was set against a controversial backdrop concerning a Welsh Labour leadership election, and the Labour vote predictably suffered. The results were the most eclectic seen. The Conservatives won two seats, the Liberal Democrats also won two seats and Labour won one.
In 2000, there was a by-election caused by the death of the Labour Councillor. The seat was then won by the Conservatives. This election confirmed the previous year's re-emergence of the Conservatives, although of course this election took place on a lower turnout than the other elections.
In 2004, the ward again elected five councillors. These elections were set against the national backdrop of a controversial war in Iraq, and the local backdrop of the closure of Swansea Leisure Centre. These elections saw Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
lose control, and a coalition of Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, and independents take control of Swansea Council, the main local issue at the time was a planning issue concerning a proposed ASDA store in Derwen Fawr; however, there was little if any dispute between the parties on this matter. In Sketty, the Conservatives won two seats and the Liberal Democrats won three. In 2007, one of the two conservative councillors became an Independent when the Conservastive group left the ruling coalition. He joined the Liberal Democrats in 2008.
2008 local council elections
In the 2004 elections, Sketty returned two conservatives and three Liberal Democrat councillors. One of the Conservative councillors defected to the independents then became a Welsh Liberal Democrat. In the 2008 local council elections, Paul Meara of the Liberal Democrats ousted the sitting Conservative councillor Tony Lloyd. It was a clean sweep for the Liberal Democrats in the ward. The results were:| Candidate | Party | Votes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosina June Stanton | Liberal Democrats | 2604 | Liberal Democrats hold |
| Arthur Michael Day | Liberal Democrats | 2201 | Liberal Democrats hold |
| Huw Rees | Liberal Democrats | 2084 | Liberal Democrats gain |
| Cheryl Lynne Philpott | Liberal Democrats | 2076 | Liberal Democrats hold |
| Paul Michael Meara | Liberal Democrats | 1601 | Liberal Democrats gain |
| Anthony Trevor Lloyd | Conservatives | 1593 | |
| Lavinia Gay Mitchell | Conservatives | 1443 | |
| David William Helliwell | Conservatives | 1347 | |
| Alice Christina Sumner | Conservatives | 1340 | |
| Robert Thornton Dowdle | Conservatives | 1126 | |
| Ian Anthony James | Labour | 888 | |
| Jennifer Louise White | Labour | 723 | |
| James Harwood White | Labour | 705 | |
| Sian Thomas | Plaid Cymru | 693 | |
| Ashaa Rasul Iftikhar | Labour | 686 | |
| Yvonne Veronica Jardine | Labour | 666 | |
| Patricia Emma Helena Jones | Green Party | 599 |
See also
- HendrefoilanHendrefoilanHendrefoilan is an area in Swansea, south Wales. The area overlaps the Northwest of Sketty and eastern Killay communities.The western part is often known as Student Village. The Student Village is on the West bank of the Olchfa stream, so is in fact in Killay. It is part of a Satellite Campus of...
, a village overlapping the communities of Sketty and KillayKillayKillay is the name of a suburb and local government community in Swansea, Wales. Killay has its own community council. The village is set high above sea level, about 3.5 miles west of Swansea city centre.... - Singleton ParkSingleton ParkSingleton Park is the largest urban park in the city of Swansea and is located in Sketty. The park has hosted many entertainment and cultural events such as Party in the Park and Proms in the Park which were regular events by local stations The Wave & Swansea Sound and other music events held by...
, the main park in Sketty