Caerphilly Town Council is to hold a by-election on Thursday March 17 for its Parc-y-Felin ward.
The vacancy was caused by the death of Plaid Cymru councillor Mark Newman.
Former Welsh rugby international Roger Bidgood has been chosen by Plaid as its candidate.
Mr Bidgood is a former Caerphilly County Borough councillor and a retired firefighter who played five times for his country.
Standing for Labour is Tony Graham, a Foodbank Network Manager for Wales for the Trussell Trust.
By-elections have also been called for Caerphilly County Borough Council seats.
The Moriah ward will be contested on March 31 following the death of Labour councillor Gina Bevan.
The Ynysddu ward by-election will also be contested on April 7 following the resignation of Labour councillor Colin Durham.
Mr Durham cited work commitments when he resigned in January this year.
Nominations for both wards are still open for potential candidates to enter.
For more information on upcoming elections, and how to register to vote, call 01443 864 204 or visit www.caerphilly.gov.uk.
It is clear that Tony Graham the Labour Candidate would be a real breath of fresh air on the Council, being a Solicitor, a Manager and organiser of a number of foodbanks in Wales, and a truely local man, it seems to me he is the sort of individual this town needs to join other local labour Councillors as proactive councillors acting for the people of the town, and by god do we need them,
I hope the residents of this ward elects him to represent us.
Absolutely. Another proactive labour councillor who can vote through the massive pay rises for already overpaid top officials on the council, whilst cutting services and raising council tax. Thanks to labour that’s why Wales is still poor after voting labour since the middle ages
You’re absolutely right Lionel – Wales needs change but they will be voted in again and we’ll get more of the same, cuts to services and crippling council tax increases, sadly the good people of Wales never seem to learn and continue to vote for Labour without engaging their thinking matter.
I would prefer to have a Council, and Labour Councillors who can be held to account by the ratepayers, The problem on the Caerphilly Council is, (much the same at the Assembly) that the Plaid Cymru opposition on the Council (Tories in the Assembly) , are a bunch of useless politicians who fail to properly scrutinise what the Administration are doing. I hold the view that it is pointless promoting a useless opposition into power, particularly when they are the ones who invested Millions of pounds in failing Icelandic Banks, increased the cost of Meals on Wheels to those needing support from the council, and then having the cheek to invest the balance from the cost charged to these old and disabled people, into subsidising the Councillors and Staff dining room facilities in the Council Offices, increase the cost of Births Marriages and particularly DEATHS in the borough, putting up burial charges etc,
And you appear to conveniently ignore the fact that Plaid Cymru Councillors and leaders were all complicite in the Senior Officers pay issues, ( which has been declared after consideration by a High court Judge to be perfectly legal and proper). and perhaps you could point to just one issue in which opposition Councillors, now seeking residents votes, have held anyone to account. A perfect example is the way the Plaid Cymru Town Council in Caerphilly Town is run, check it out!!!!!!
Check out who and which organisation they are making financial donation to from ratepayers money, and more importantly WHY they are giving that money to the organisation they are giving it to, and who is ACTUALLY benefiting from the donations, perhaps it is time for the Wales Auditor General to concider some of these issue and see if we, the ratpayers are actually getting value for money under Plaid, my view is vote Labour, and then hold those Councillors to account. Not promote a useless opposition into power to wreck more failure on the poor ratepayers of Caerphilly. finally, remember the current Labour Council recently passed onto the ratepayers the entire financial settlement from the Assembly made to the council, and as a result balanced the books by reducing what originally needed to be a much larger Council Tax increase. That`s the way Council`s should be run, and not by using ratepayers money to fund pet projects for a selected section of the community, and then dipping into the pockets of the Council Tax payers to do so.
Caerphilly have increased council tax by only 1% this year as a sweetener for the forthcoming elections, unlike Labour voters with the memory of a flea I can remember previous massive council tax hikes of 4 and 5% – and the fact that the Welsh Labour Government were given £40million by the Tories in 2010 to freeze council tax, just like they did in England but they used the money to line their own pockets and sure up their own jobs, high time the rotten lot were voted out, but as sure as night follows day they’ll get in again, and they know it.
You say; Caerphilly have increased council tax by only 1% this year as a sweetener for the forthcoming elections,
Well, consider this, if you think, that that could attract votes, i.e. by only raising Council Tax by 1%, and using that logic, WHY did the electorate at the last Council elections show almost the entire previous Welsh Nationalist Council the door? and they had refused to increase Council tax at all, prefering to raid Council financial reserves and in the process `living for the day` and sod the future. Your logic holds no water.
Yawn – try to defend the LDP and sandwich charge
Maybe he can explain why the Labour Group are imposing the LDP on the people of Caerphilly plus the Sandwich charge being imposed on schools.
Will he be knocking any doors?
What an excellent candidate Roger Bidgood is a great asset to Caerphilly
Is this the person already thrown off the Council in previous elections, in another ward in Caerphilly? Why wont he stand again in that ward? I will tell you why, because the residents in that ward decided they did`nt want him as a Councillor to represent them, I presume you hope he will have a better chance in a new ward where he is not so well known?.
Ask him
He will make an excellent Councillor