Greens eye by-election upset in Cardiff

Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter

In an area of Cardiff that will soon go to the polls for another by-election, there is perhaps one issue above all else that people there want to see change.

“Ever since I moved here, particularly the lane down the side [of the] train station… [it is] fly-tipping central,” said prospective councillor for Grangetown, Matt Youde.

He said he is speaking about “by far” the biggest issue residents have shared with him on the doorstep ahead of the Cardiff Council by-election for the area on Thursday, August 14.

Matt, who has lived in Cardiff now for 10 years, added: “It just never seems to change. There are bins even on the intersection of Corporation Road and Penarth Road.

“The businesses there are always having to come out and clean up unspeakable things that are left overflowing in those bins.

“People don’t want it, people don’t accept it, but it’s almost become part of the landscape of Grangetown.”

Under normal circumstances, Matt and other candidates like him would usually be discussing such issues in preparation for another council by-election that could well be expected to go under the radar.

Reform UK

However, it feels like by-elections – even local government ones – are being looked at with greater interest these days as the established parties of the country wrestle with the relatively new threat of Reform UK to keep control of their seats and wards.

Only recently, Nigel Farage’s party nearly won its first seat on Cardiff Council in the Llanrumney by-election. They came second to Labour in the end.

In Grangetown though, the danger for Labour – a party that’s dominated the ward for the past 13 years – comes from somewhere else.

Far from putting their hat in the ring just to make up the numbers, Matt Youde said his party, the Greens, have confidence going into this by-election.

The Greens came close in past Westminster and local government elections for the area, albeit with the latter under the Plaid Cymru and Greens Common Ground banner.

Past elections aren’t the only thing giving the Greens hope this time around, according to Matt, who shed light on the other things residents were telling him on the doorstep besides litter and fly-tipping.

‘Hopeful’

He said: “There have been a couple of people who think that they need to vote Reform to get Labour out and they’re open to the argument that we [the Greens] came second… in the general election [in the area].

“[They] really did quite surprisingly well to many people and that’s quite hopeful.”

Green Party candidate for Cardiff South and Penarth, Anthony Slaughter, came second to Labour’s Stephen Doughty in the 2024 General Election.

“They believe that we can potentially topple Labour here,” added Matt.

“I think it’s good for democracy if someone doesn’t have free reign.

“I also think that for this by-election, people are so fed up with politics at the moment that it’s only fair that all the options are put on the table for them to choose from.”

The last by-election in Grangetown was in April 2024, when Labour’s Waheeda Sattar won her late husband’s seat.

Cllr Abdul Sattar’s passing, announced in February of that same year, was met with an outpouring of tributes from fellow councillors and members of the community who knew him.

The by-election this year was triggered following the resignation of Sara Robinson, who had been in her post as a councillor for Grangetown since 2022.

Those running for the vacant seat on Cardiff Council include:

Ahmed Abdillahi Abdi Samater (Independent)
Khuram Chowdhry (Welsh Labour)
James Hamblin (Welsh Conservatives)
Irfan Latif (Welsh Liberal Democrats)
Joseph William Martin (Reform UK)
Neil Roberts (Plaid Cymru)
Vincent John Yewlett (Propel)
Matt Youde (Green Party)

When asked what he would like to see change in Grangetown, Matt said he thinks more resources need to be dedicated to the area and not just to deal with litter and fly-tipping.

He also wants to see more traffic calming measures introduced to roads in the ward, particularly Paget Street which has its own campaign up and running.

Matt said residents there have been calling for action “for a really long time” and that the area has witnessed some “really dramatic crashes”.

He added: “I walked past one not a few weeks ago where a fire engine had to block the street.

“It’s not safe and it just needs more attention.”

There is currently a Change.org petition calling for traffic calming measures, which can include pedestrian crossings and speed bumps, on Paget Street.

To help secure investment for speed calming measures, the petition states that more evidence is required to demonstrate a need for them.

However, Matt said some residents don’t know what they should do to gather that evidence. He added: “The number of crashes that the emergency services have been called out to should be something.”

Crash Map UK, which uses data from the Department of Transport, shows two car crashes on Paget Street over the last six years.

One in 2019 involved two vehicles and two casualties, and the other in 2020 involved four cars and one casualty.

If he wins, some of the other issues Matt said he’d push in the council chamber include introducing rent controls in Cardiff and developing a new Welsh medium secondary school.

Change

Welsh Labour argued that in not voting for Cardiff Council’s budget proposals this year, Common Ground in effect “voted against” giving more cleaning resources to Grangetown and said their administration has worked hard to bring about change in the area.

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: “Our Welsh Labour councillors have been listening to local residents and working alongside them to tackle the issues which they know impact the Grangetown community.

“They regularly directly report fly-tipping and litter issues to council officers for cleansing, whilst supporting the Labour Council’s record investment of £1m extra funding into cleansing services in areas like Grangetown. And the Welsh Government’s Tidy Towns fund means more money still to help.

“Conversations with residents and highways officers have led to the installation of speed warning signage, police speed watch sessions and general traffic monitoring.

“As a Labour team we’re always listening to our residents and amplify their voices with officers to strive for solutions.”

Plaid Cymru will of course have something to say about who poses the biggest challenge to Labour in Grangetown.

A YouGov Senedd voting intention poll undertaken in April shows Plaid Cymru on top, with 30% of the 1,265 adults who participated saying they’d vote for them.

18% of adults said they would vote for Labour in the next Senedd election in 2026, behind Reform UK.

Another YouGov poll published this month shows Plaid Cymru as the most favourably viewed political party in Wales, with 52% of 1,104 adults who participated saying they think Plaid are the best party to stand up for the country.

However, this poll has also given the Greens reason to be confident going into a future Welsh election, be that national or local.

Close behind Plaid as the second most favourably viewed political party in the country are the Greens.

Matt said: “You look at the recent polling about people rating the parties in Wales and we’re sort of biting at the ankles of Plaid.

“That’s with very little representation so far and imagine what we can build when we get a little more representation – some councillors, with luck a Senedd member next year.

“I think people can really start seeing us as a viable place to put their vote and not just a wasted vote, not a protest vote, but something that actually brings about a different kind of representation and a different kind of politics.”