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Members of Caerphilly County Borough Council have bid a fond farewell to Lindsay Whittle, who has joined the Senedd after 49 years in local government.

Mr Whittle was invited to address a full council meeting on Tuesday November 11 following his victory for Plaid Cymru in the recent Caerphilly Senedd by-election.

He paid tribute to the late Hefin David, his predecessor in the role whose death in the summer triggered the by-election.

“His loss to politics in this valley was felt by everyone”, said Mr Whittle, adding an “immense” number of people thought “so highly” of Dr David.

The presiding member, Cllr Colin Gordon, earlier opened the council meeting at Ty Penallta with a minute’s silence for Dr David, who himself served as a councillor before joining the Senedd.

Mr Whittle said it was “an honour and a privilege” to serve the people of Penyrheol, Energlyn and Trecenydd, and added he would “continue to fight for local government”.

Cllr Charlotte Bishop, who has replaced Mr Whittle as the new leader of the Plaid Cymru group in the council chamber, noted his ‘Mr Caerphilly’ nickname and called him “a man whose name is synonymous with dedication, integrity and unwavering service”.

She said Mr Whittle had given his “heart and soul to Caerphilly” and “truly believes in the power of public service”.

The new leader of the council, Labour’s Cllr Jamie Pritchard, congratulated Mr Whittle on a nearly half-century of local government service and said he would be “very keen to work with Senedd members” while in the authority’s top job.

“It’s important for us in Caerphilly County Borough that we’ve got effective working relationships,” Cllr Pritchard added.

Other praise came from Cllr Kevin Etheridge, an independent from Blackwood, who said Mr Whittle had “worked and worked for his community”.

Plaid’s Cllr Colin Mann commended Mr Whittle on his “fantastic achievement” while also noting the tragic circumstances that led to the by-election being called.

“Hefin’s family will be in all our thoughts,” added Cllr Mann.