West parliamentary constituency and the Cardiff West Senedd constituency. Cardiff Council Radyr electoral ward (often known as Radyr and Morganstown) has one seat on Cardiff Council and had an electorate of 4,368 (1 May 2008). The ward elected a Conservative, Roderick McKerlich, in the election of May 2008 and he was re-elected in 2012 and 2017. Cllr McKerlich is a member of the Council's Environmental Scrutiny Committee. Community Council Radyr and Morganstown Community Council is funded by an addition to the Council Tax bill paid by local residents. The Community Council is run by 11 elected councillors from three wards in the parish – Radyr North (4 seats), Radyr South (3 seats) and Morganstown (4 seats) - subsequently increased to 12 councillors (4:4:4). Geography Geological structure The surrounding soils are mostly a strong, brown, dry earth, well adapted for arable farming and the growing of grains of all kinds that contributed to the area being a mostly farming community until the modern era. Soils were further enriched over the millennia by alluvial deposits from the River Taff. The bedrock under the whole area is predominantly sandstone, dating from both the Devonian period (Old Red Sandstone) and the Triassic (New Red Sandstone) laid down in arid conditions. These may subsequently have been ground down by the Taff valley glacier during the last ice age around 18,000 years ago. Radyr Stone is a Triassic breccia used widely for decorative work in the Cardiff area, including Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff Docks and in the bridges of the Taff Vale Railway. Radyr Weir The River Taff at this point runs roughly south through Taff's Well, past Radyr and through Llandaff. Radyr Weir was built in 1774 to divert water into a leat to the Melingriffith Tin Plate Works. The weir is the third obstacle to migratory salmon and sea trout — the others being Llandaff Weir and Blackweir, both of which also have fish passes. Since the early 1980s, the salmon and sea trout stocks in the Taff have been recovering from nearly 200 years of industrial pollution and exploitation. In 1993 the National Rivers Authority monitored over 500 salmon and 700 sea trout returning to the river to spawn. From 1749, iron from Pentyrch was initially transported to the works using pack-horses, then tub boats were used on the Taff passing onto the feeder via a lock at Radyr Weir. Parts of this lock