1934 Neath Rural District Council election

An election to the Neath Rural District Council in Wales was held in March 1934. It was preceded by the 1931 election and was followed by the 1937 election.

Overview of the results

Labour won control of the authority for the first time, winning sixteen seats as opposed to thirteen for the Independents.

Boundary changes

Ystradfellte ward was removed to Breconshire, reducing the number of councillors from 31 to 29. This rural ward had long been represented by Independent councillors who were usually returned unopposed.

Candidates

All seats were contested apart from Tonmawr, where the longest serving Labour member, William Jones, was returned unopposed, and Clyne, which was also taken without opposition by Labour. Most of the other seats saw Labour candidates face Independent nominees, with a small number of Independent Labour and Communist candidates.

Outcome

Having won a majority for the first time, Labour councillors moved swiftly to impose their authority. Independent councillors had for the past six years denied Labour any significant roles within the council, so this was taken as a reason for Labour to reverse this position. William Jones, Tonmawr, the senior Labour councillor on the authority, who had been proposed many times as chairman, without success, was elected by fifteen votes to thirteen, with John James of Crynant elected vice-chairman by a similar margin.

Ward Results

Baglan Higher (one seat)

Baglan Higher 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Jones*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Blaengwrach (one seat)

Blaengwrach 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Albert Vowles	226
	Independent	Rosser Jenkins*	134
Majority
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Blaenrhonddan (three seats)

Blaenrhonddan 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J.T. Evans*	975
	Independent	Edward Bowen	641
	Independent	Llew Jones*	514
	Labour	William R. Griffiths	472
	Labour	Albert John	374
	Independent	John Morgan	349
	Labour hold		Swing
	Independent hold		Swing
	Independent hold		Swing

Clyne (one seat)

Clyne 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles R. Kimber	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Coedffranc (five seats)

Coedffranc 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Ogley Lewis David*	1,881
	Independent	Isaac David	1,831
	Independent	Amy Jones*	1,830
	Labour	David Jenkins*	1,739
	Labour	Mary Elizabeth Davies*	1,378
	Independent	Thomas Lloyd*	1,239
	Independent	W.T.A. Macamara	906
	Labour	David Thomas	891
	Labour	Thomas Lovering	802
	Labour	Isaac William Evans	599
	Independent	Mary Jane Reid	593
	Independent Labour	Philip Evans	393
	Independent	John Harris Evans	359
	Independent Labour	Christopher Jones	328
	Independent hold		Swing
	Independent hold		Swing
	Independent hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Dyffryn Clydach (two seats)

Dyffryn Clydach 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joseph Thomas*	353
	Independent	David Williams	330
	Independent Labour	Percy Cantle	285
	Labour	A.T. Rogers	237
	Independent Labour	Ben Jones	233
	Labour hold		Swing
	Independent hold		Swing

Dulais Higher, Crynant Ward (one seat)

Dulais Higher, Crynant Ward 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	David Jeffreys*	367
	Labour	Jenkin Morgan	263
Majority
	Independent hold		Swing

Dulais Higher, Onllwyn Ward (one seat)

Dulais Higher, Onllwyn Ward 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John James*	605
	Independent	J.T. Lewis	293
Majority
	Labour hold		Swing

Dulais Higher, Seven Sisters Ward (two seats)

Dulais Higher, Seven Sisters Ward 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George Jones*	697
	Independent	W.P. Harries	539
	Labour	George Adams	436
	Labour hold		Swing
	Independent hold		Swing

Dulais Lower (one seat)

Dulais Lower 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J.S. George	169
	Independent	Morgan Thomas Richards	109
	Independent	Llewellyn Davies	104
Majority
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Michaelstone Higher (one seat)

Michaelstone Higher 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W.J. Lewis*	305
	Independent	H.W. Crouch	147
Majority
	Labour hold		Swing

Neath Higher (three seats)

Neath Higher 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Morgan Morgan*	925
	Independent	David Arthur*	878
	Labour	Cliff Protheroe*	863
	Labour	R.H. Taylor	654
	Communist	E. Williams	247
	Communist	W.J. Jones	90
	Communist	T. Williams	89
	Labour hold		Swing
	Independent hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Neath Lower (one seat)

Neath Lower 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Samuel Burnard*	174
	Independent	T.D. Herbert	90
Majority
	Labour hold		Swing

Resolven, Cwmgwrach Ward (one seat)

Resolven, Cwmgwrach Ward 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Trevor Lewis*	351
	Independent	R.H. Snook	52
	Communist	Edward Sherlock	23
Majority
	Labour hold		Swing

Resolven, Resolven Ward (two seats)

Resolven, Resolven Ward 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	D.J.Evans*	657
	Labour	Fred Thomas*	651
	Independent	Benjamin Jones	474
	Labour	R. Geary	349
	Independent	A. Howell	121
	Independent hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Resolven, Rhigos Ward (two seats)

Resolven, Rhigos Ward 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	R.M. Smith*	348
	Independent	James Evans*	338
	Labour	T. Williams	268
	Communist	R.J. Douglas	66
	Independent hold		Swing
	Independent hold		Swing

Resolven, Tonna Ward (one seat)

Resolven, Tonna Ward 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	W.G. Harrington*	386
	Labour	William Thomas	301
Majority
	Independent hold		Swing