Pontypridd's Old Bridge was built across the river Taff in 1755

It came on the same day as Labour was also beaten in the Welsh assembly elections for the Rhondda constituency.

Both amounted to a traumatic experience for the party.

Labour went part of the way to regaining lost ground when it won the assembly seat in 2003 from Plaid with more than 60% of the vote.

With Plaid's 38 seats to Labour's 26 in a 75-seat council, there is all to play for.

But Plaid will be equally keen to hold on to a council at the centre of the south Wales valleys, where it wants to prove it can succeed alongside its more traditional heartlands in the north and west.

Plaid's victory in 1999 seems to have been achieved largely due to dislike of the then Labour-run council and local controversies such as health fears over the Nantygwyddon tip, at Gelli in Rhondda Fawr.

Tower Colliery thrives almost ten years after it was bought by miners

RCT covers the two Rhondda valleys, the Cynon valley and the former Taff-Ely district, taking in the Pontypridd and the Llantrisant areas.

New roads

This merger was only achieved after angry protests, particularly from some in the Rhondda, who feared losing its famous name.

As a whole, it is one of the poorest parts of Wales, with some of the lowest house prices, less than one in ten homes in the "average" Band D for council tax, and an ageing population.

But it would be misleading to paint too grim a picture of RCT overall.

New roads have helped open up the northern valleys, and the Pontypridd/Llantrisant end is generally more prosperous, with new housing developments helping to cater for Cardiff commuters.

The area is also home to a number of significant employers, such as the Royal Mint at Llantrisant, major foreign companies like L'Oreal and Bosch.

The Cynon valley also provides south Wales' final link to its coal heritage.

Tower Colliery is the only working deep mine in Wales, and was bought out by its staff while under threat of government closure.