Perhaps democracy is working after all.
Of the three sitting councillors, two were standing for re-election. These were long-serving Bobby Feeley, who dates back to Glyndŵr district council days, albeit with breaks when not elected. Huw Hilditch Roberts was a fresher in 2012. These means that David Smith, former vice-principal of Coleg Llysfasi, stood down. His reason was that he'd be 72 at the end of the new council.
I'd say it was a straight fight for the no. 1 position between Hilditch Roberts and Emrys Wynne. Wynne has a pedigree within Y Gymuned Gymraeg. He ran under Plaid Cymru colours and Plaid has traditionally returned one Rhuthun councillor to the county. In the 2012 town council elections, he topped the poll. Independent Hilditch Roberts, on the other hand, saved our post office (even if his other businesses seem to have closed: I'r Dim in both Dinbych and Rhuthun and of course his unsuccessful tenure at the Griffin). He's also permanently welded to social media which, these days, is de rigueur for a politician. Both these candidates have the best and most attractive leaflets. Hilditch Roberts's seems to suggest that all the good things to have emerged over the previous five years from the county council were his, even though his propaganda cleverly doesn't actually say so (it just implies it).
As for the remaining seat, who knows. I'd predict it's between sitting councillor Bobby Feeley and Geraint Woolford. Feeley, a Liberal Democrat, is popular in Rhuthun (and hard working) but may be tainted by the furore over the closure of Awelon. She was, after all, lead member for social care. It was easy being a councillor during the good times, of course it was, but it is only during more difficult times that a councillor needs to show their mettle. With little presence on social media, she has nevertheless distributed regular newsletters by hand throughout the town during the current term. No one else has done that. You elect these people and, usually, their only contact is four (or in this case five) years later. Not so for Feeley.
Geraint Woolford must be a front-runner. He's currently mayor of Rhuthun and is, too, a major social media player. He even started the Facebook page named after this blog. He is on the town council as a Conservative but has now ditched that for both the county and town: he runs as an independent but has not revealed why he has dropped his party allegiance. The returned unopposed councillor for Llanbedr, Huw Williams, accused such people of putting political ambitions above their true belief, stating they "only run without a party label because they think they won’t win if people know their true politics." Williams, of course, is a Conservative. Interestingly, independent Hilditch-Roberts's strapline is "people not politics".
There were five other candidates. Independent Pat Astbury's tried in 2012. Plaid's Hywel Richards narrowly missed out last time, coming fourth. We expect his vote to transfer to Emrys Wynne. There are two Conservatives: John Hughes of Haulfryn and Beryl Wyn of Saron who presumably works in town. It is interesting to note that Hughes makes play of his local connections, asking why we should chose someone who lives out of town (e.g. Hilditch Roberts and Feeley... but also fellow Conservative candidate Wyn). Ian Lewney of Borthyn is the other of the four independents standing.
Our prediction for the three seats is therefore: certainties: Huw Hilditch Roberts & Emrys Wynne. Next favourites: Bobby Feeley just ahead of Geraint Woolford.
The Districts
Here are the highlights from Rhuthun's rural wards. In the Llanfair & Gwyddelwern ward, council leader and independent Hugh Evans saw a challenge from Conservative Barbara Hughes. She has an address in Malpas but is believed to own agricultural land within the ward at Bryneglwys and hence is eligible to stand. Back in the dark Miller days, Evans was the consensus leader who united the council. He has done great things but it's a bit of an open secret that coalition partners the Conservatives have fallen out with Evans and this, no doubt, is why Hughes stood against Evans. Evans is unhappy with the way non-cabinet Conservatives are muttering. We nevertheless predict Evans will win by a comfortable margin. Evans was unchallenged in 2012, won in 2008 with a 70 per cent slice of the vote against one candidate and in his first election in 2004 came first of four.
In 2012, Eryl Williams was returned unopposed in his Efenechtyd division. Four years earlier, he was challenged for the first time since the early 1990s and he won but with a surprisingly low 55 per cent of the vote. This time, Williams sees another challenge, from independent Sharon Newell of Pwllglas. Whether she has enough support in Pwllglas to overturn Williams in his upland heartland remains to be seen. Like Williams, she's worked hard at trying for the vote.
Finally, then, to Llanarmon yn Iâl & Llandegla, where Bob "Bananas" Barton stood again, against incumbent Conservative Martyn Holland and the Socialist Labour Party's Robert English. We'd lay odds on an easy win for Holland. Liberal Democrat Barton was elected in 2004 with 54 per cent of the vote over a single alternative, a Conservative. In 2008, Barton, by now an independent, came equal second of three, with 26 per cent of the votes, as independent Christine Evans won with 48 per cent. In 2012, Barton was relegated to fourth out of four, with 11 per cent of the vote, one per cent and seven votes behind Socialist Labour's English (and Llanarmon is not known for its left wing radical socialism). In 2017, Barton has nevertheless secured his return to politics on a number of unopposed community councils though, interestingly, there's a large field in his own community of Llanarmon. He had previously been on the Llanarmon (1991-2012), Llanferres (1995-1999 & 2004-2008) and Llandegla community councils (1995-1999 & 2004-2008). I recall that there were conduct issues, perhaps in 2006, regarding Barton at Denbighshire council, available online at the Daily Post at the start of the campaign but details have now disappeared. Denbighshire Free Press reported that in a separate incident Barton lost his appeal against a standards tribunal for remarks made while a member of the public in 2010 at Llanferres community council.
Tags:
Denbighshire