Carmarthen Borough Council was a local authority created by the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act and replaced the ancient borough that had existed since medieval times. The Council consisted of 24 members, eighteen of whom were elected councillors and the remaining six were aldermen. The councillors were elected on a triennial cycle, with a third of councillors retiring each year. Aldermen were elected for a six-year term from within the council membership.
During the period between 1919 and 1939, the Council had an Independent majority but with Labour candidates gaining ground.
Due to a number of vacancies that had arisen during the latter part of the war years and since the Armistice in 1945, nine members (amounting to half the councillors) were elected in 1946.[1]
In addition to the six seats which were up for election a seventh vacancy was created due to the elevation of D.H. Jones to the aldermanic bench.[2]
Independent won a seat from Labour in the Eastern Ward while the reverse happened in the Western Ward, leaving the composition of the Council unchanged.[3]
Following the elevation of three councillors to the aldermanic bench, by-elections were held. Retiring alderman David Howell Jones, a member of the council for seventeen years, but who did not contest the recent election, was among those returned.[7]
For the first time since the Second World War there was an unopposed return in a municipal election as the Western Ward was not contested.[8] Ex-servicemen candidates (Wynford Davies and R.C. Hopkins) were elected in each ward.[9]
For the second successive year, there was no contest in the Western Ward after sitting member William Edwards (who had lost his seat on Carmarthenshire County Council in 1952 chose not to seek re-election.[10] After a contest in the Eastern Ward the composition of the council remained at 14 Independents (including two elected as Ex-Servicemen) and 10 Labour members.[11]
For the first time in the post-war period there was no contested election at Carmarthen as six candidates were returned unopposed. These included Charlie Griffiths who resigned from the aldermanic bench in order to be returned as a councillor.[12]
Following the elevation of three councillors to the aldermanic bench, by-elections were held. Two Labour candidates were returned unopposed but retiring alderman J.O. Morgans, a member of the council for 36 years, faced a tough contest to retain his seat.[13]
On this occasion there was no contest in the Eastern Ward and the three sitting members were returned unopposed.[15] In the Western Ward a sitting Independent member was defeated by another Independent.[16]
Both wards were contested with a total of thirteen candidates. Two vacancies in the Eastern Ward resulted in a total of eight councillors being elected, amounting to almost half the number of elected members. The Ratepayers Association ran a slate of candidates; three of whom were elected.[17]
