Torfaen

**Torfaen County Borough**
**Bwrdeistref Sirol Torfaen**

Geography
Aurie - Tot - % Watter	Ranked 20t 126 km² 0 %
Admeen HQ	Pontypool
ISO 3166-2	GB-TOF
ONS code	00PM
Demographics
Population: - Tot (2021) - Density	Ranked Ranked / km²
Ethnicity	99.2% White.
Welsh language - Ony skills	Ranked 19t 14.5%
Politics
Torfaen County Borough Council http://www.torfaen.gov.uk/
Control	Labour
MP	Paul Murphy
AM	Lynne Neagle

Torfaen is a coonty burgh in Wales athin the historic bundaries o Monmouthshire. It wis oreeginally formit in 1974 as a destrict o the coonty o Gwent an in 1996 it wis reconstitutit as a unitary authority.

Education

Seicontary schuils in the aurie are:

St Albans RC High School, Pontypool
West Monmouth School, Pontypool
Croesyceiliog School, Cwmbran
Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw, Pontypool (Welsh-leid)
Abersychan Comprehensive School, Pontypool
Fairwater High School, Cwmbran
Llantarnam School, Cwmbran

Further education, vocational trainin an some heicher education is providit at the Ponytpool Campus o Coleg Gwent, umwhile Pontypool College.

Etymology

The meanin o Torfaen in Welsh is brak-stein, an the name refers tae the river that flowes throu the coonty burgh frae its soorce in Blaenavon. The river in quaisten is nou kent as the Afon Lwyd ("gray river").

Location

Torfaen borders the ceety o Newport tae the sooth, the coonty o Monmouthshire tae the east an the coonty burghs o Caerphilly an Blaenau Gwent tae the wast an north-wast.

Aurie characteristics

The aurie haes a population o aroond 91,000. Hintle o the soothren pairts o the coonty burgh are nou urbanisit aroond the Cwmbran new toun conurbation. The north o the coonty burgh is greener an retains vast acres o kintraside, especially on the route tae Blaenavon.

The admeenistrative centre is Pontypool in the centre o the coonty burgh. Maist o the admeenistration o Torfaen County Borough Council is conductit frae the Civic Centre here, awtho facilities at the Coonty Haw in Cwmbran are shared wi Monmouthshire County Council.

Local landmarks

Torfaen, awtho a relatively sma aurie, haes a nummer o notable laundmerks:

Pontypool Park

Pontypool Pairk is the name gien tae the umwhile principal residence o Pontypool (nou a seicontary schuil) an the 160-acre (0.65 km²) pairk that surroonds it. The pairk contains Pontypool Leisure Centre an sports facilities an is the hame o Pontypool RFC. The pairk includes a folly, shell grotto an ornamental ponds. Hintle o the aurie is gien tae firthland but thare is extensive open grassland. The American Gardens wur open tae the public in 2008, efter bein closed tae visitors for mony years, an a restoration project is unnerway. Torfaen County Borough Council is currently mappin aw the trees frae the pairk tae remuive an then replant the dyin an diseased trees.^[1]

Cwmbran Shopping Centre

Cwmbran Shopping Centre is advertisit as the seicont lairgest unner-cover shopping centre in Wales. The centre includes mony familiar heich-street stores.

Blaenavon Booktown

The umwhile minin toun o Blaenavon in the northren pairt o the county borough is nou a recognised UNESCO Warld Heritage Steid.

Politics

Torfaen is historically a safe Labour Pairty seat. At present the MP is Paul Murphy. Constituents in Croesyceiliog North, Croesyceiliog South, Llanyrafon North an Llanyrafon South wairds are servit bi the Monmouth MP, Conservative David Davies. Torfaen is a Welsh Assembly Govrenment constituency an aw, presidit ower bi Labour AM, Lynne Neagle.

In local elections on 1 Mey 2008, the Labour majority o Torfaen County Borough Council failed tae win 16 o its 34 seats an lost owerall control. Housomeivver, a greement wis reached wi Plaid Cymru an twa independent members tae maintain a stable regime wi Labour control.