What can these candidates offer in Merthyr election?

THESE two councillor candidates hope they will be the ones leading Merthyr Tydfil council after the elections on May 4.

Labour hopes to hold onto power, while the Independents are eager to win back a local authority they ran before the 2012 election.

A total of 72 candidates have put their names in the hats to try to take the 33 seats available.

Brendan Toomey: Labour Brendan Toomey joined the Labour party 25 years ago after seeing the votes counted in the 1992 General Election. It had been a fourth straight victory for the Conservatives.

He was first elected as a Labour councillor to the Park ward in Merthyr in 1999, where he lived at the time. Originally from Cefn Coed, he is the leader of the local Labour group and has already served five years as council leader.

The dad-of-two served as a firefighter for 30 years, retiring in 2015.

“Having worked as a firefighter for 14 years prior to becoming a councillor, public service was more or less in my blood and I wanted to try and make a difference to people living in the Park ward and Merthyr Tydfil as a whole,” he said.

He says he unwinds by watching the Ospreys or enjoying a quiet walk with his Staffordshire bull terrier puppy.

When asked some of his proudest achievements during his time as council leader, he doesn’t struggle to find examples. One achievement he plucks from memory is how Merthyr was once ranked in the 20s, out of Wales’ 22 local authorities, for education – to now improving to being included in the top 10 for some areas.

“During the past five years, our educational attainment with our young people has gone up from 32% to 56% – a remarkable achievement when you think that it was only a few short years in achieving this particular standard.

“We now have far more young people making the grades that they require to go on to further and higher education.”

The College Merthyr Tydfil, Redhouse and the refurbishment of Penydarren Park – home to Merthyr Town FC – has all happened since 2012.

“The town centre has seen massive infrastructure regeneration, including the new Penderyn Square, the opening of the Old Town Hall, or as it’s now known, Redhouse, and the one-way system that links Avenue de Clichy to the bottom of town.

“We are very proud of these developments and we hope that they continue at pace into the next administration.”

Labour’s priorities include economic growth, raising standards, inclusion and wellbeing and a sustainable environment, while Coun Toomey stresses continuing regeneration, education improvement and economic opportunities are musts – as well as keeping people as independent for as long as possible.

Lisa Mytton: Independent Lisa Mytton was first elected as a councillor for Vaynor in 2008 as an Independent.

From Trefechan, Coun Mytton now lives in Cefn Coed with her two children, James, 14, and Beth, 10.

This election, Independent councillor Richard Thomas – the leader of the opposition – isn’t seeking re-election so deputy leader Coun Mytton hopes she can take the party on.

She got into politics after being involved in a local campaign to safeguard green spaces, but being a parent is also clearly a drive for her. In 2012 she became Merthyr’s youngest mayor.

Coun Mytton believes the Independent councillors can unite in the council chamber and work together effectively. Not having to follow the party whip is a massive positive, she says.

She believes the Independents can take credit for the same projects as Coun Toomey named as work was going on behind the scenes before 2012.

She described the council leader at the time, Independent Jeff Edwards, as “instrumental” in those negotiations.

“Just as all the hard work was coming to completion we had another election and Labour took control. In doing so they had all the publicity.

“With just seven members of the opposition it’s been difficult to have any major impact in council votes in the chamber.

“However all of our hard work is done both in the community and in scrutiny committees with two Independents chairing audit and education, which was instrumental in raising standards and helping to get the local authority out of special measures.”

When she’s not working or spending time with her children, Coun Mytton can be found walking with her two lurcher rescue dogs, Woody and Jessie.

Looking ahead, Lisa said her priorities would be to increase employment opportunities, build new homes, improve infrastructure, and continue to improve education standards in the borough.

She wants Merthyr Tydfil to be a “regional centre of the valleys”.

“Despite the continued pressure faced by all local authorities I believe we must listen to the public, make the right choices where efficiency savings are needed and together we can still be positive about the future.”