Plaid Cymru strengthen hold on Gwynedd Council

TO no-one’s great surprise, Plaid Cymru have retained control of Gwynedd Council following Thursday’s local government elections.

The party claimed 44 seats of the 69 seats available and increased its overall majority.

In a county controlled by Plaid since 1996, its percentage vote was also up on the last elections in 2017.

Most of the remaining seats (23) were won by independents but the big UK national parties fared badly across the county.

Labour and the Lib Dems managed just one seat apiece, while the Tories went home empty-handed.

One hotly contested seat was on Caernarfon’s Peblig ward, where Plaid’s Dewi Jones beat independent Jonathan Jones, winning 444 votes to 231.

Another new face on the council – but familiar to many in north-west Wales – is retired Caernarfon Herald photographer Arwyn Roberts, who won the Tryfan ward for Plaid with 315 votes to 136 from incumbent Aeron Maldwyn Jones.

Elsewhere in North Wales, power shares seem likely in many councils, with the tightest result reserved for Flintshire, where Labour fell just short of an overall majority due to gains for Independent councillors.

In Monmouthshire, the only council the Conservatives controlled, the Tories lost their majority and the party is also facing collapse in Denbighshire, which saw a big swing to Labour and independent candidates.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats made gains in Powys, though the country council remains without overall control. The Green Party won seats on three councils, including one in Conwy.

The Conservative vote in Denbighshire collapsed, with the party dropping from the largest party to fourth.

Labour was left with the most seats. Conservatives suffered losses almost everywhere across Wales (see facing page) with the balance of power in almost all the 22 county council chambers shifting towards either Labour or Plaid Cymru.