The council was controlled by the Labour Party from its creation in 1996 until 2022, when Plaid Cymru and a group of independent councillors agreed to share power.

[5] The county borough and its council were created on 1 April 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.

[7] The first election to the new council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1996.

[12] The Liberal Democrats and Green Party members would support the coalition via a confidence and supply agreement.

When created in 1996, the council also inherited the former Neath Civic Centre, which was subsequently demolished in 2008 to make way for a retail development.

[20] Prior to this, the county borough was divided into 42 wards, listed below, returning a total of 64 councillors.