1949 Glamorgan County Council election

The eighteenth election to Glamorgan County Council, south Wales, took place in April 1949. It was preceded by the 1946 election and followed by the 1952 election.

Overview
Labour's comfortable majority on the council, including the aldermanic bench, remained unchanged.

Boundary changes
There were no boundary changes at this election.

Candidates
Many candidates were returned unopposed.

Among the Labour candidates returned unopposed was John Shea (Briton Ferry) who had been selected in a 'referendum' to succeed George Gethin, who had died some months before the election.

Outcome
Labour retained their majority as comfortably as in all previous elections, and captured both the Garw Valley ward and the Coedffranc ward from the Communists.

Barry
Dudley Howe had previously represented Cadoxton and gained the neighbouring Barry ward from Labour. However, Labour won Cadoxton for the first time against the new candidate.

Election of Aldermen
In addition to the 66 councillors the council consisted of 22 county aldermen. Aldermen were elected by the council, and served a six-year term. Following the 1928 election, there were eleven Aldermanic vacancies, all of which all of which were filled by Labour nominees despite the protestations of their opponents.

The following retiring aldermen were re-elected:
 * Sidney Cadogan (Lab, Rhondda)
 * W.H. Davies (Lab, Gower)
 * Alfred Evans (Lab, Rhondda)
 * Rhys Evans (Lab, Treorchy)
 * Tom Evans (Lab, Pengam)
 * Daniel T. Jones (Lab, Ystalyfera)
 * W. Arthur Jones (Lab, Tonyrefail)
 * Evan Phillips (Lab, Caerphilly)
 * Rev W. Degwel Thomas (Lab, Neath)

The following new aldermen were elected:
 * H.J. Cook (Lab, Penarth)
 * Mervyn Payne (Lab, Pencoed)

By-elections
Eleven vacancies were caused by the election of aldermen.

Barry Dock by-election
Labour lost the by-election held following the re-election of Dorothy Rees to the aldermanic bench. The Labour candidate had been elected following Rees's original election as alderman three years previously and at the recent election had unsuccessfully contested the neighbouring Barry ward.