Why town offers plenty beyond affordability

Llanelli is 'warm, compassionate and strained' with 'gorgeous people who mean well' as property editor Jo Ridout discovers....

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RECENT data regarding property prices by Zoopla revealed that Llanelli is the most affordable town for a family to buy a home in Wales, but what has the area got to offer someone who might be thinking about buying and planting roots in the town?

Some people might say 'not much,' but they'd be wrong according to people who have lived and worked all their lives in the town.

The internet says Llanelli is most famous for rugby and, of course, the Scarlets are a huge part of the town's history and fame, but there's so much more to the area than the egg-shaped ball if you can see past the disparaging remarks that seem to accompany the area.

Like so many other towns in Wales, Llanelli, which in the 2021 census had a population of 25,366 rising to 42,155 when the 'built-up' area around it is included, has had hard times since the demise of its main tin and coal mining industries.

According to website CrimeRate, in 2023 Llanelli had a crime rate of 117 crimes per 1,000 compared to the Welsh national average of 84 crimes per 1,000. Comparing this figure to a Welsh town of a similar population size, Llanelli fairs slightly better - Aberdare, with a population of around 37,691, recorded a level of 162 crimes per 1,000 in the same year.

Of course these figures fluctuate and can be hard to compare due to an area's specific demographics and local problems, but it is useful to give the town some context regarding its crime rate.

Celyn Harvey, 27, who describes herself as Llanelli 'born and bred' and still lives in the town with husband Jonathan, says: "It's hard because I can see people's point when they say mean stuff about the town but I'd say mainly they are missing out on the sense of community we have here, it's the thing I think is most unique about Llanelli.