Your council
Blaenau Gwent: what’s happening where you live
What the council itself has published on the five things it most shapes for a household: homes, getting about, the bill, the local environment and schools. Each line is quoted from the council’s own document, with the link. This page says what was decided or proposed; it never says whether it was right.
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council: Welsh unitary authority (unitary), Wales. GOV.UK lists it as a unitary council.
Council website · Publication scheme
Do it online
- Household waste collection: Providing information
- Household waste collection: Reporting
- Bulky household waste collections: Applications for service
- Household garden waste: Providing information
- Recycling bags and containers: Providing information
- Road maintenance: Reporting
- Street lighting: Reporting
- Noise pollution: Reporting
- Council tax annual notification: Providing information
- Council tax annual notification: Collecting revenue
- Council tax discount: Applications for service
- Council tax benefit new claim: Applications for service
- Housing benefit new claim: Providing information
- Electoral register: Providing information
- Electoral register: Applications for service
- Primary school places: Applications for service
- Secondary school places: Applications for service
- Library facilities: Providing information
- Parking permits: Providing information
- Planning decision notices: Providing information
- Councillors directory: Providing information
- Complaints procedure: Providing information
Housing
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Transport
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Council tax
Average Band D council tax in Blaenau Gwent for 2026–27: £2,531.26 a year. Of that, £2,090.51 is set by the council, £403.53 by the police and, on average, £37.22 by community councils.
Every band
| Band | A year |
|---|---|
| A- | £1,406.26 |
| A | £1,687.51 |
| B | £1,968.76 |
| C | £2,250.01 |
| D | £2,531.26 |
| E | £3,093.76 |
| F | £3,656.26 |
| G | £4,218.77 |
| H | £5,062.52 |
| I | £5,906.27 |
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Environment
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Education
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
What the council plans to spend, 2026–27
| Service | Budget |
|---|---|
| Education | £90.9 million |
| Social services | £73.3 million |
| Council fund housing | £29.3 million |
| Local environmental services | £15.0 million |
| Roads and transport | £7.3 million |
| Libraries, culture, heritage, sport and recreation | £6.5 million |
| Planning, economic and community development | £2.8 million |
| Local tax collection | £1.4 million |
| Debt financing costs | £8.0 million |
| Law, order and protective services | none budgeted |
| Central administration | £11.3 million |
| Other revenue expenditure | £1.2 million |
| Revenue expenditure | £247.2 million |
Life in Blaenau Gwent: the official facts
- People living here
- 67,593 people
- Typical age
- 43 years
- Money to live on, per person, per year
- £18,101
- Typical weekly pay, before tax
- £626
- Children growing up in poverty
- 32.0%
- People claiming unemployment-related benefits
- 3.9%
- Average price of a home
- £143,243
- How many years of pay a home costs
- 4.0 times yearly pay
- Years in good health: women
- 54.4 years
- Years in good health: men
- 55.7 years
- Greenhouse gases, per person
- 4.3 tonnes per person
- Homes and businesses that can get the fastest broadband
- 77.6%
- Public chargers for electric cars
- 228.4 per 100,000 people
- Businesses trading here
- 1,435 businesses
Who runs the council
33 seats in 2026. Run by: Labour, with a majority.
Councillors by party: Labour Party 19, Independent / Other 12, Reform UK 1, Green Party (E&W) 1.
Next scheduled council election: 6 May 2027.
All 33 councillors, by ward
- Julie Holt (Independent / Other) — Abertillery and Six Bells
- Keith Chaplin (Labour Party) — Abertillery and Six Bells
- Ross Leadbeater (Labour Party) — Abertillery and Six Bells
- Chris Smith (Labour Party) — Beaufort
- Dean Woods (Labour Party) — Beaufort
- Godfrey Thomas (Independent / Other) — Beaufort
- John Morgan (Independent / Other) — Blaina
- Lisa Winnett (Labour Party) — Blaina
- John Hill (Independent / Other) — Brynmawr
- Jules Gardner (Labour Party) — Brynmawr
- Wayne Hodgins (Independent / Other) — Brynmawr
- Derrick Bevan (Labour Party) — Cwm
- George Humphreys (Independent / Other) — Cwm
- Joanna Wilkins (Independent / Other) — Cwmtillery
- Malcolm Day (Independent / Other) — Cwmtillery
- Dai Davies (Independent / Other) — Ebbw Vale North
- Jen Morgan (Labour Party) — Ebbw Vale North
- Jonathan Millard (Reform UK) — Ebbw Vale South
- Sue Edmunds (Labour Party) — Ebbw Vale South
- Jacqueline Thomas (Labour Party) — Georgetown
- John Morgan (Labour Party) — Georgetown
- Helen Cunningham (Independent / Other) — Llanhilleth
- Lee Parsons (Independent / Other) — Llanhilleth
- Peter Baldwin (Labour Party) — Nantyglo
- Sonia Behr (Green Party (E&W)) — Nantyglo
- David Wilkshire (Labour Party) — Rassau and Garnlydan
- Gareth Davies (Independent / Other) — Rassau and Garnlydan
- Diane Rowberry (Labour Party) — Sirhowy
- Malcolm Cross (Labour Party) — Sirhowy
- Tommy Smith (Labour Party) — Sirhowy
- Ellen Jones (Labour Party) — Tredegar
- Haydn Trollope (Labour Party) — Tredegar
- Stephen Thomas (Labour Party) — Tredegar