About Torfaen
About Torfaen
Torfaen County Borough Council is the third smallest borough in Wales and is situated just north of the M4 corridor bordered by Monmouthshire, Newport, Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent. Torfaen is also the third most densely populated local authority area in Wales and has a population of over 95,000 with 18 Electoral Wards represented by 40 councillors. The current political make-up is 29 Labour, 5 The Independent group, 3 Torfaen Independent group, and 3 Individual Independents.
Torfaen covers a varied, 12-mile long valley, running from Blaenavon in the north to Cwmbran in the south. In common with the other Welsh valleys, the area has a great iron, steel and coal mining heritage. It is easily accessible from both east and west along the M4 corridor with Cardiff and Bristol within a 30-minute drive. The nearby M50 links south Wales to the Midlands and North and the A465 connects to the south Wales Valleys. Torfaen is also well served by public transport with rail links to the Manchester and London main lines and stations in Cwmbran and Pontypool.
Blaenavon was established to exploit the coal and iron resources in the area. Characterised by a dramatic environment rich in cultural and historic assets, and ecological diversity, the cultural landscape around Blaenavon was inscribed by UNESCO as one of only four Welsh World Heritage Sites in 2000. Attracting thousands of visitors each year, the area has many important heritage features linked to its industrial past. The dramatic natural environment and proximity to the Brecon Beacons National Park also brings many walkers, cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts to the area.
Pontypool is located at the centre of Torfaen and was built around industrial wealth with a strong claim to be the first ‘industrial town’ in Wales. Between the 1700s and 1900s the area thrived as a major centre for iron and tin-plated ‘Japanware’ products, and a bustling market town emerged. Today, Pontypool is known for its distinctive architectural heritage, its listed park and Italian gardens, its Victorian market and a strong sense of community spirit.
Based around a network of older villages, Cwmbran was designated the first New Town in Wales in 1949. It was designed as a distinctive and modern town offering new opportunities for its residents. The name Cwmbran comes from the Welsh for ‘Valley of the Crow’. Cwmbran Shopping is the main retail centre attracting visitors from far afield and with its bus and train station, the town centre acts as Torfaen’s main public transport hub. Cwmbran remains a popular place to live, providing a successful town centre, excellent road and transport links, a high-quality natural environment and varied employment opportunities.
About The Corporate Resources Directorate
The Corporate Resources Directorate has four main areas of responsibility:
- The provision of insightful, proactive and efficient business support services.
- Ensuring residents receive the benefits to which they are entitled and have access to 21st century customer services.
- Ensuring the Council is supported and well governed, enabling front line services to deliver better outcomes for Torfaen citizens
- Managing the Greater Gwent Pension Fund and Administration in accordance with good governance
The Directorate serves a wide variety of customers, principally internal colleagues and Members. Our ambition is not only to be excellent at doing the basics, but to add real value to the organisation and support the Council in realizing its ambitions and aspirations. We have an extremely professional workforce, and our real strength is taking time to truly understand our customers and building strong working partnerships to help achieve our collective goals. Valued members of the wider “Torfaen” team, we are not afraid of change and transformation; indeed, we actively encourage it so that we can be as efficient and effective as possible and thus make the most difference to our residents’ lives.
The financial outlook facing the public sector and local authorities across Wales is challenging. To illustrate this, the MTFP published in March 2026 detailed a financial challenge of £10.2million over four years; The Council is starting to see the benefits of the Federation with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, these include greater resilience and greater efficiencies. Both councils are MARMOT councils and ensure that the health and wellbeing of residents is the focus of investment and support provided by the Councils. As with all councils we face ongoing challenges around inflation and the cost of living crisis impacting many of our residents.
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