Five ready to battle it out to secure seats in Vale of Glamorgan

Coun Franks, 65, has lived in Dinas for over 50 years, and been with the party since the 1960s.

A father-ofthree and grandfather-of-three, he says he never had the “train driver” ambition unlike many of his contemporaries.

When I ask him his main interests, he tells me gardening, the countryside and education. Politics and personal interests very much intertwined – predictable, perhaps, for a man who has been an assembly member, party council leader and parliamentary candidate in his time.

He says: “I was an engineer and worked in developing and putting infrastructure in business parks, but I have always been interested in the community. I chose Plaid because I like their commitment to the community. It’s rooted in the towns and villages and cities of Wales. That’s what appeals to me.”

A school governor of St Cyres in Penarth, Coun Franks lays huge emphasis on education. He tells me: “I see it as being absolutely vital to industry and the community. I don’t think we invest enough in our schools in the Vale. I have been trying to increase the allocation especially to secondary schools, but the council does not have a very progressive attitude towards investing in our pupils.”

The group has put forward 30 candidates for this vote, but when asked how many seats they could realistically win, Coun Franks says it will be a “very difficult election to call”.

“We are happy to have 30 candidates and to give as many people a chance as possible. We are very buoyant and have very good campaigns in Barry, Penarth and Dinas, and are crucially on the right side of public opinion in Barry in opposing the incinerator.”

He says the party has a “strong commitment” to improving the “unsatisfactory” street cleaning systems, and wants the “disgraceful” state of the roads improved. That’s as well as committing to the Dinas Powys bypass – a plan that has been rejected by the council.

He added: “The policy up to this point seems to be to let our roads deteriorate.”

Born and bred a farmer, he first came to power when he won a slender majority in the 1999 Vale elections. He beat the long-standing Labour candidate with just 17 votes in his home ward of St Athan – albeit with an electorate of around 900.

Coun Thomas, 55 and a father-of-one, now says his party can take back control of the council they led before 2012.

“We took a hit last time around and national politics played a part in it. The party was in power but not popular. Five years down the line, and we are still in power but not still unpopular.”

On what can realistically be achieved, he thinks “Corbyn and everything that comes with that” has made it slightly easier.

The party is throwing the biggest number of candidates forward, a total of 47. He explains: “The Vale is more than likely going to be a council with no overall control, and while it would be nice to have a majority in May, second to that would be having the largest group. I would have thought that is very doable.”

For Coun Thomas, one of his party’s key pledges at this election is to keep council tax down, which comes after this year’s 2.8% increase and last year’s 4% rise in the Vale.

He says if elected he would campaign for better funding for the area, comparing it with the higher levels given to neighbouring Cardiff.

Highways are also high up the list for the Conservatives, and Coun Thomas tells me within 100 days of power the party would review the Vale’s infrastructure in this area.

He says: “That would include the Eastern Vale and access to the M4 as well as the Dinas bypass. There is an awful lot of feeling that bypass is necessary.”

Other policies in the Conservatives’