Local Election Special

Now that the polling stations have closed, let's look back on a keenly-fought county council local election. Today, we chose three county councillors and we predict the result tomorrow will be:

1. Huw Hilditch-Roberts

2. Emrys Wynne

3. Gavin Harris (by a whisker)

(4. Bobby Feeley)

It is the third and fourth placed candidates that will be the most telling. There will be little headroom between them. Will it be sitting councillor Bobby Feeley or challenger Gavin Harris? Harris was up for trying in 2017 and even asked Feeley if she was going to stand. They must between them recognise that they are the key to each other's success. 

We'd give Harris the edge but that might come to a recount for third place.

All four of what I might call the main candidates have dropped by. One just pushed information through our letter box. We were out during a second's visit. The message from the other two, after some dancing around the subject, was that the existing triumvirate of Hilditch-Roberts/Wynne/Feeley have worked well together for the good of Rhuthun/Ruthin. While that isn't always strictly true, the subtext was simply this: 'Can you trust this contender Harris?' or 'You know what you're getting with us'. Would the election of Harris alongside Hilditch-Roberts in particular be workable? It's reported the pair do not always get on.

Postal voters found they had two different instructions to follow when voting. One said that they could vote for one candidate; the other up to three. The latter was correct

Harris has tried much harder than any other candidate. He's printed attractive, well-thought-out material that is 50 per cent bigger than the other three main candidates and is certainly smart-looking. He's posted well on social media. He's used a clear website to good effect, one that is professionally designed with flair. And for his house-to-house door knocking, he even appears to use a vinyled bike in the same harlequin colours as his web and printed material.

From the Harris website: an indication of some of the nastiness Harris has previously faced

Will this be enough to swing voters Harris's way? His experience is unquestioned. His tireless efforts as town councillor and mayor indisputable. Yet, there will be those who dislike him, those who feel that it's Harris's way or no way. He can be very entrenched. During his recent mayoral two years, he's been subject to what he calls a 'negative campaign' and this has left its mark on some of the electorate, who will either have the deepest of sympathies for him; or feel completely the opposite. While town mayor, he's also had an unprecedented four investigations following complaints made about his to the ombudsman (none of which had any substance). On the other hand, there are those who point to secrecy which leads to a lack of trust. We shall know the answer by tomorrow evening.

Other Candidature

There's been nothing we've seen from the sole candidate from the Wales Green Party. That's because instead the party's concentrated all its north east Wales firepower in Prestatyn Central, a seat of two candidates it feels it can win. Labour again isn't fielding anyone in Rhuthun. It was in 2012 that there was a Labour candidate on the menu.

The Conservatives, who put forward three candidates, pushed through an elementary leaflet which, at first sight, says very little but perhaps is cleverer than we think. It concentrates on just three simple messages on the rear in just 43 words in either Welsh or English. It may resonate in its simplicity with three over-arching principles about which voters may care. Nothing about education, though, nor anything on young people more generally. The leaflet was backed up by an advert in the Free Press, which outlined more universal Conservative principles. 

Rachel Ryland is the one candidate who has been the Conservative's figurehead. It was her photo on the leaflet. She personally dropped it off but didn't knock. She's been the subject of serious social media bombardment. This initially was perhaps her own doing, because maybe through inexperience she failed to state she was standing under a party banner. The response which then became more general was unacceptably brutal. It once again demonstrates the negative power of social media especially Facebook. And rather sadly it says so much about who we are as a local population, too.

And that's the eight candidates from which by now we will have considered. It was perhaps surprising that there wasn't a second Plaid Cymru candidate. We've seen up to three such aspirants in recent times.