Pembrokeshire Round up

There will be some new faces in County Hall as Pembrokeshire elects its 60 councillors for the next five years.

There were 19 uncontested seats in the county but there were also 25 new councillors elected along with some familiar faces returned.

Plaid Cymru was the party that suffered most with its six seats reduced to two, while the Liberal Democrats lost its cabinet member Bob Kilmister but replaced him with two new members.

The Conservative party kept its 11 seats although there was some movement in the area the members represent, while Labour increased its number of seats to 10.

As always in Pembrokeshire it was the independent and Independent Group councillors that did best with 35 elected to the new council, it just remains to be seen how many join with Jamie Adams and his group – and whether this will give the group an overall majority once again.

Another cabinet member to lose his seat was Cris Tomos in Crymych and Mynacholg-ddu but leader David Simpson kept his Lampeter Velfrey seat. Who will form overall control and appoint a cabinet – and leader – will be decided at a full council meeting later this month.

Turnout for the election was 43.28% with 28,457 votes cast out of a potential 65,750 electors.

There were some close results, there was only three votes in it in Johnston with Aled Thomas taking it for the Conservatives with 229, ahead of Daniel Metcalf of Labour with 226 and nine votes in Solva, where Mark Carter held his seat for the Conservatives.

There were also some conclusive wins, Neil Prior, cabinet member, held his on to his Llanrhain seat with 670 votes to 65.