Councillor quits, creating new by-election challenge for Labour in Cardiff

Martin Shipton

Welsh Labour is facing another tough by-election in Cardiff following the resignation of a councillor who has moved away to a new job in England.

Chris Lay has been promoted to a new managerial role in the Tesco subsidiary company he works for.

He has moved to Telford in Shropshire.

A Welsh Labour spokesman said: “Chris has been a hard-working, dedicated ward member for St Mellons and Trowbridge for over eight years, and chaired our group up until May this year.

“While we’re delighted that he’s secured a significant promotion in his professional career, we’re sorry that this means that he will have to relocate from Cardiff.”

Vulnerable

Mr Lay’s resignation from the council was notified to councillors on August 7 and preparations will now be made for a by-election in a ward whose demography is predominantly white working class and which could be vulnerable to a challenge from Reform UK.

However, in July Labour retained a seat at a by-election in the Llanrumney ward, whose electorate profile is similar. The challenge to Labour there is more likely to come from Plaid Cymru.

Another by-election is due in the Grangetown ward next week, following the resignation of former councillor Sara Robinson.

There had been suggestions that Labour might seek to delay another by-election because of a law passed by the Senedd in 2021 that enables councillors to attend meetings remotely rather than in person.

A Labour source concerned about the implications of the Local Government and Elections Wales Act told Nation.Cymru: “After the Covid lockdowns, when all council meetings were held remotely, it was decided to let councillors decide whether to attend all meetings either remotely or in person.

“One of the consequences has been that if councillors move away, they can attend meetings from their new location. Previously they had to attend at least one meeting in person every six months, which many were not prepared to do. But under the new law, people can carry on claiming their pay as councillors simply by attending meetings remotely. This is crazy – and even more so when they can attend meetings from anywhere in the world. It makes elected representatives inaccessible to the people they represent and makes a mockery of democracy.”

Concerns

We put these concerns to the Welsh Government, which responded with a statement that said: “Councillors are not required to reside in the ward they represent, or even within the local authority area, provided they meet one of the qualifying criteria as set out in section 79 of the Local Government Act 1972. These criteria include that the councillor owned or rented property in that area for 12 months prior to the relevant day (as defined in section 79(2)), or their principal or only place of work during those 12 months was in that area.

“The Welsh Government does not comment on individual cases but expects all elected members to uphold the standards of public service and maintain meaningful links with the communities they serve.

“The ability to attend meetings remotely was introduced during the pandemic through the Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 2020, and was made permanent under section 47 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

“This change has enabled more inclusive participation in local democracy. The approach supports accessibility, work-life balance, and broader participation in civic life, while maintaining the integrity of democratic processes.”

Senedd Members can also attend meetings remotely if they choose to – but they have to be in Wales, a requirement that does not apply to councillors.