Plaid Cymru gains Labour seat in council by-election

Nation.Cymru staff

Plaid Cymru has gained a council seat from Labour after Nicholas Davies won a by-election prompted by the death of a longstanding councillor.

Mr Davies was elected to Carmarthenshire County Council’s Saron ward on Thursday, October 22, securing 397 votes and a majority of 144 over Reform UK’s Richard Galvin.

The vacancy followed the death of Labour councillor Peter Cooper, whose public service spanned more than two decades.

Mr Davies, a community councillor representing Saron on Llandybie Community Council, received almost 44% of the 905 votes cast. Turnout was 26.58%.

Mr Galvin finished second with 253 votes, ahead of Labour’s Anthony Wyn Jones on 159.

Welsh Conservative Craig Griffiths received 44 votes, independent David Owen Jenkins secured 41 and Welsh Liberal Democrat Caryl Evelyn Tandy received 11.

The result means both county council seats in the ward are now held by Plaid Cymru. Karen Davies was elected alongside Mr Cooper at the last full council elections in May 2022.

At that election, Ms Davies received 668 votes and Mr Cooper secured 660, ahead of Plaid’s second candidate, Darran Jones, on 516.

Mr Cooper was first elected to the county council in 2004, serving until 2017 before regaining his seat in 2022.

Following his death, council leader Linda Evans described him as “a dedicated public servant who gave many years of service to his community”.

He was also a former chair of Llandybie Community Council, a former Justice of the Peace and secretary and director of Ammanford’s Citizens Advice service.

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