I.

Introduction

Wrexham (Welsh, Wrecsam), county borough and unitary authority, north-eastern Wales, bounded on the north-west by the Welsh county borough of Flintshire, on the west by the Welsh county of Denbighshire, on the south by the Welsh county of Powys, on the south and south-east by the English county of Shropshire, and on the north-east by the English county of Cheshire. Wrexham county borough came into existence as a unitary authority on April 1, 1996, under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1994, which changed the structure of local administration in Wales from a two-tier system of county and district councils to a single-tier system of unitary authorities. It comprises the district of Wrexham Maelor and, in the south, part of the district of Glyndwr, both in the former county of Clwyd. Before 1974, when Clwyd was created under the local government reorganization of that year, the area covered by the county borough comprised parts of the historic counties of Denbighshire and Flintshire. Wrexham county borough has an area of 499 sq km (193 sq mi).