page_title: Criccieth
section_title: Governance
hierarchical_section_title: Criccieth / Governance
caption_attribution_description: English: Erected at Westminster Abbey sometime during reign of Edward I, thought to be an image of the King.
context_page_description: Criccieth is a town and community on the Llyn peninsula in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies 5 miles west of Porthmadog, 9 miles east of Pwllheli and 17 miles south of Caernarfon. It had a population of 1,826 in 2001, reducing to 1,753 at the 2011 census.
  The town is a seaside resort, popular with families. Attractions include the ruins of Criccieth Castle, which have extensive views over the town and surrounding countryside. Nearby on Ffordd Castell is Cadwalader's Ice Cream Parlour, opened in 1927, whilst Stryd Fawr has several bistro-style restaurants. In the centre lies Y Maes, part of the original medieval town common.
  The town is noted for its fairs, held on 23 May and 29 June every year, when large numbers of people visit the fairground and the market which spreads through many of the streets of the town.
  Famous people associated with the town include the British prime minister, David Lloyd George, who grew up in the nearby village of Llanystumdwy, and poet William George.
context_section_description: Criccieth became a borough under a charter granted by Edward I in 1284, and was the capital of Cantraf Eifionydd. The first mayor was William de Leybourne, who was appointed constable of the castle a month after the charter was granted. The borough was left unreformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835; a royal commission reported in 1876 that the corporation had long been extinct; and it was formally abolished in 1886.
  The Criccieth Improvement Act 1873 had created a board of improvement commissioners to govern the town, and to take over the borough's property; and from 1889 they formed a second tier of local government below Carnarfonshire County Council. Under the Local Government Act 1894 the improvement district became an urban district with a directly elected council, while the remainder of the civil parish was renamed Penllyn, and became part of Lleyn Rural District. The urban district was extended between the world wars, taking in parts of Penllyn and Treflys in 1934, followed by part of Llanystumdwy in 1938. Criccieth Urban District was abolished in 1974, and the town became part of Dwyfor District in the new county of Gwynedd, although the town retained limited powers as a community. Dwyfor itself was abolished when Gwynedd became a unitary authority in 1996.
  The town now forms an electoral division of Cyngor Gwynedd, electing one councillor; in 2008 Guto Rhys Tomos, an Independent, was elected. Criccieth Town Council has 12 elected members; in the 2008 elections ten Independent councillors and one representing Plaid Cymru were elected unopposed.
  Since 1950 Criccieth has been part of Caernarfon parliamentary constituency, and has been represented by Hywel Williams of Plaid Cymru since 2001. In the National Assembly for Wales it has since 2007 formed part of Dwyfor Meirionnydd assembly constituency, represented by Dafydd Elis-Thomas, the Presiding Officer of the assembly, and also from Plaid Cymru; the constituency forms part of the electoral region of Mid and West Wales.
caption: Edward I granted a charter to Criccieth in 1284, creating a borough.
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