The Green Party has gained its very first Neath Port Talbot councillor this year, following the success of candidate Nathan Goldup-John in Coedffranc Central.
The Green Party councillor, who became a member with a total of 552 votes, took one of the two seats available alongside the Labour member for the area. It followed a successful campaign for the party right across Wales with eight local councils now having Greens in the room.
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Reflecting on the vote, Nathan, 25, who formerly studied urban design at Cardiff University, said: "It was pure elation to see that people had supported and trusted me enough to represent them, and even though I know its going to be a big challenge its one that I'm more than ready for.
"It was on a bit of knife edge, but I was confident that we could do it and fortunately I got in. Being the first Green Party member to represent Neath Port Talbot is great, as I think the people here wanted a change. They also saw that the Green Party offers some new and innovative ideas and we are good at holding people to account.
"Local elections are about local issues, and I think people saw myself and my running partner as people who are passionate and who actively care about the community, and generally want to make a change. For a long time now we've been taken for granted here and having myself in the room as a voice for Skewen will make a difference for them."
Nathan, who has a particular interest in how we can improve the built environment around us to make it easier for people to walk and cycle, added that he joined the Green Party after feeling there was a staleness to local politics that had to change.
He said: "I came to the Green Party about two years ago, when I was working as a planner for a private planning consultancy in south Wales after finishing my masters degree. I felt like politics has become a bit stale and dominated with old ideas from people who aren't passionate enough, so I had a look in to the different party's and the Green Party was the one that most aligned with myself. I thought, even though I'm only 25 if this is what I care about then I need to step up and make a change. I want to make sure that I put the residents of Skewen first now, to make sure that we see improved surfaces and a general uplift, as well as value for money through our council tax expenditure."
Wales Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter said he was thrilled to see that Nathan had been elected as the first Green councillor for Neath, as well as the ground-breaking results the party had achieved overall.
He said: "We're incredibly pleased as this was a historic break-through for Wales' Green Party with eight new councillors elected across the country, as well as two councillors elected as part of common ground in Cardiff. I was also thrilled to see Nathan getting elected as one of those first-time councillors, and after visiting the area and canvasing with him it was obvious that he is someone who understands and works for the community. I'm very excited to see what he can deliver as Neath's first Green councillor now." You can read more of our stories about Neath Port Talbot here
