Labour has held Islwyn for the fourth consecutive election with almost half of the votes.
Rhianon Passmore has been elected as Labour’s Assembly Member for Islwyn after collecting 10,050 of the 22,444 votes.
UKIP’s Joe Smyth narrowly pipped Plaid Cymru’s Lyn Ackerman to second place, taking 4,944 votes to their 4,349, while Conservative candidate Paul Williams came in fourth with 1,775.
Liberal Democrats’ Matthew Kidner came in fifth with 597, just above Kate Beddoe of the Green Party with 594 votes.
UKIP candidate Joe Smyth followed up his unexpected result as the party’s top candidate in last year’s general election with a close-fought second place finish.
Mr Smyth had told Caerphilly Observer during the counts that he wasn’t expecting to win “by any stretch of the imagination”, but a finish above Plaid Cymru will surely be seen as a success by the party.
Rhiannon Passmore used her victory speech to thank voters and her team for their support, while also noting that Labour were a party “who do not need to use fear and scare tactics.”
Turnout at Islwyn was 41.2%, with a total number of verified votes at 22,444. The figure signifies an increase from the 2011 Assembly elections, when turnout stood at 38.3&, with 20,908 votes.
Looks like Caerphilly has inadvertently voted to be concreted over with new housing for Cardiff overspill. Well done Caerphilly there’s nothing to stop them now.
Yes there is, public opinion, properly organised and the disbandonment of Rabble Rousing political smoke and mirrors groups, which in this election gained exactly 412 additional opposition votes over their last showing for The Nationalist who were encouraging the Rabble Rousing. But, even with this cause celeb the people voted for Labour
Now is the time for any of those groups organised and opposed to the LDP to contact the new Assembly Member. Hefin David, who, if you
remember voted AGAINST the plans, and offer him the `power of the people` support to attempt to moderate these officer inspired plans, and lets also not forget we are having an equally important Local Council election next year so there is still all to play for, politically that is, it is not `end game`as you suggest. There are also many local Labour Councillors who support Hefin David on this subject. Seek them out and support them in their opposition in the Council Chamber, it`s called democracy, and its alive and well in Assembly Member Hefin Davids Labour Party..
It will be very interesting to hear your words when David, as I predict he will, will sideline his opposition to support new houses all over Caerphilly mountain, near Rudry and all other places where houses can be built.
Yes Emily, I agree with you. My experience with Labour politicians has led me to conclude that they are just two faced scum. Recently on one occasion a well known Labour politician, whom originally said to me that he did not go along with the development plan, then turned around and told me, “well, we will accept some of the development, the developers wont get it all through but we will allow some of it”… So my experience suggests to me, do not trust them. Unfortunately the people of Caerphilly have kept them at the helm again, When the development starts and when we have thousands of extra houses, and the extra cars clogging up the already clogged up roads, I wonder what the people will say then.. They will probably say, Labour are doing a great job.
Labour are just as corrupt as any Tory. Expect the new houses to be built, with prices only those from Cardiff or over the bridge can afford, and the 10% allocated to social housing being given to refugees/immigrants.
The simple solution to all this debate about the officer inspired LDP can be solved by those who oppose it standing in next years local Council elections, get elected and change it, that is if you think and believe this plan was thought up by politicains which it is`nt,.
You could of course join those colleagues of Hefin David who also oppose the plan as it stands, but that would mean being honest about it and putting forward all those reasonable objections people have already expressed, and not simply Rabble Rousing and shouting about it. I happen to agree that the plan is unsustainable due to the potential forces it has on local infustructure, roads, medical services schools etc, but I also know the only way to CHANGE any of it is through local democracy, Clearly Assembly Member Hefin David, who is also opposed to it, was supported in his position by the people of the borough that endorses his moral, political, and personal stance in respect to everything including the LDP he has a mandate for his position.
I you and he agree on this matter.
There are democratic ways to wrestle this subject and change it. Use them if you feel that strongly about it.
Yep looks that way so those Labour voters with the memory of a flea need not whine and complain about it when thousands of houses are built in and around Caerphilly – and who was it that sold off huge areas of prime development land across Wales for a fraction of what it was really worth and lost the tax payer tens of millions of pounds….oh yes I remember it was Labour, just what do they need to do to lose the hereditary Welsh vote.