The second election preview looks at wards in Porthcawl and the Pyle/Cornelly/Kenfig Hill area.
Once again, if you’re not sure which ward you are in, enter your postcode into the widget below and it’ll tell you.
Which county councillors are standing down this year?
- Mike Clarke (Ind, Rest Bay)
- Steven Smith (Lab, Pyle)
- Ken Watts (Ind, Newton) – former Mayor of Bridgend County Borough Council.
Sitting councillors seeking re-election are in italics. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by party and then surname.
Cornelly (elects 3 councillors)
- Electoral History: 2 Labour (1995, 1999); 1 Independent, 1 Labour (2004, 2008, 2012, 2017).
Candidates
- Conservative: David Deere, Nicholas Kempley, Craig Morgan.
- Independent: Dorian Morgan, Jeff Tildesley.
- Labour: Richard Granville, Anthony Kavanagh, Elaine Winstanley.
Cornelly has gained an additional councillor following the boundary review, with two of the council’s longest-serving councillors (though Richard Granville lost his seat in previous elections before winning it back) seeking re-election.
The ward has a long history of voting for Independents (or, more accurately, Jeff Tildesley), though Labour managed to take a seat back in 2017.
With the Conservatives highly unlikely to win a seat here, the three seats will most likely be divided between Independents and Labour. You would expect the Independents ( Jeff Tildesley because of his personal vote) and Richard Granville to be re-elected unless local voters feel they need a change.
Labour would probably be the favourites to win the third seat – which could end up being crucial.
The Cornelly ward is taking part in a Welsh Government voting pilot. Ballot boxes will be available at Cynffig Comprehensive for 16-18-year-olds to vote on Tuesday 3rd May between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm.
Additionally, all electors in the ward will be able to vote at polling stations on Tuesday 3rd May and Wednesday 4th May (as well as the usual Thursday election day).
Newton (elects 1 councillor)
- Electoral History: 1 Conservative (1999, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2017).
Candidates
- Conservative: Jonathan Pratt.
- Independent: Mario Jones.
- Labour: Elen Jones.
A rock-solid Conservative seat. It would likely take something big to change that. The only possible stumbling block would be if Ken Watts’ personal vote goes elsewhere, but it seems unlikely.
Porthcawl West Central (elects 1 councillor)
- Electoral History: 1 Labour (1999); 1 Conservative (2004, 2008), 1 Independent (2012, 2017).
Candidates
- Conservative: Richard Hughes.
- Independent: Sean Aspey, Lorraine Desmond-Williams.
- Labour: Chloe Rees.
The West Central ward has had its boundaries changed slightly following the review.
Sean Aspey will be looking for a third win in a row, but the seat was previously held by the Conservatives – who may be the main opponent here. Going further back it was the council seat of the former Bridgend Labour MP, Madeline Moon.
There’s the outside chance that the Independent vote could be split between the two candidates, potentially allowing one of the party candidates through – though it would still take a fairly big swing against Sean Aspey for him to lose the seat.
Pyle, Kenfig Hill & Cefn Cribwr (elects 3 councillors)
- Electoral History: New ward.
Candidates:
- Conservative: Louise Barham, Charlotte Harris, Ryan Lewis.
- Independent: David Unwin, Rhys Watkins.
- Labour: Huw David, Jane Gebbie, Michael Kearn.
The smart money would be on three Labour wins. The only way that might not happen is if one of the Independent candidates manages to get as much of the “anyone-but-Labour” vote behind them as they can – a tough ask.
With two sitting Cabinet members, including the Leader, standing in the ward there’s always the potential for an embarrassment but it’s unlikely.
The Pyle, Kenfig Hill & Cefn Cribwr ward is taking part in a Welsh Government voting pilot. Ballot boxes will be available at Cynffig Comprehensive for 16-18-year-olds to vote on Tuesday 3rd May between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm.
Additionally, all electors in the ward will be able to vote at polling stations on Tuesday 3rd May and Wednesday 4th May (as well as the usual Thursday election day).
