Future of council is undecided

May 8 2008 by Sian Watts, Rhymney Valley Express

AN UNBEARABLY close result at the Caerphilly council elections has left the borough in limbo.

After the numbers were crunched and checked, the results revealed that Labour and Plaid Cymru were all square on 32 seats each. The Independents claimed nine seats.

Forthcoming negotiations will reveal how the council will be controlled for the upcoming four years.

Caerphilly Labour AM Jeff Cuthbert said he believed national issues such as the 10p tax row had affected how people voted locally.

He said: “With a coalition council I believe services could now suffer and I regret that very much.”

A glum-faced Wayne David, MP for Caerphilly, expressed his disappointment with Labour’s showing.

He said: “I feel very sad. We have lost some very hard-working councillors and if you look at the record of Labour here we have delivered a new hospital and most people are clearly better off.”

Only days after the count, re-elected Labour Risca East councillor Keith Griffiths died, aged 75, due to prostate cancer.

It is now likely a by-election will take place in the ward.

In other individual wards, a triumph for the Independents came in the whole Blackwood ward in Caerphilly County Borough.

Labour’s Nigel Dix and Leon Gardiner, who did not attend the count last Friday, lost their seats to Independent newcomers Keith Smallman and Kay Presley.

After the loudest cheer of the day following the announcement, the emotional trio were elated at the result.

Coun Presley dedicated her win to her husband Fred, who died five weeks ago.

Barely able to speak, she said: “I am very pleased, but just so sorry my husband’s not here. “He would’ve been over the moon.”

Coun Kevin Etheridge unsurprisingly returned with a landslide 1,794 votes – with his runner-up Keith Smallman coming in at 962.

Coun Etheridge said: “We will now work for the people – we will consult and we will listen, we will put the views of the people first.”

Speaking after the count Leon Gardiner said: “I am absolutely devastated to think what the Blackwood people have done, we deserved better than that.

“We have had the cold shoulder, I feel terrible, absolutely betrayed. The people of Blackwood need to wake up.”

He said he had enjoyed his time, and was now happy to concentrate on family life for a while.

Mr Gardiner, who would have been a councillor for 37 years in December, said he felt disgusted with the way the opposition had run their campaign, and they had simply “jumped on the backs” of the hard work and multiple achievements of himself and Nigel Dix.

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Nigel Dix said: “I am a bit disappointed but it is a difficult national trend we are up against.

“I am keeping positive and the fightback starts now as far as I am concerned.”

This year’s mayor Allen Williams just kept the solitary seat in Argoed, but it was a close call as he was only 27 votes in front.

Leader of the council Harry Andrews retained his seat in Gilfach, winning 78% of the vote in that ward. Coun Jim Criddle made a comeback to politics after 12 years when he was elected as a Plaid councillor in Pontllanfraith, where he ousted Labour’s Gwyn Price.

Coun Criddle said he was shattered but delighted. He said: “There’s lots to do and it’s great to be back.”