A council by-election will be held in Ynysybwl this week following the death of its previous recently-elected councillor. The ballot is being held on Thursday, September 29 after the previous councillor, Plaid Cymru’s Tony Burnell, died just months after being elected in May.
There are five candidates for the seat on Rhondda Cynon Taf Council including Jeffrey Lee Baxter of The Green Party, Paula Evans of Plaid Cymru, Richard John Flowerdew of Labour, Lloyd Griffiths of the Conservatives and Jessica Joan O’Donovan of Gwlad – The Welsh Independence Party. Polling will take place between 7am and 10pm on the day and polling stations include Craig yr Hesg Primary School on Cefn Lane in Glyncoch, Zion English Baptist Chapel on Robert Street in Ynysybwl and Ynysybwl Community Day Centre on Windsor Place in Ynysybwl.
Here is what they told us about themselves.
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Jeffrey Baxter, Green Party
Jeff Baxter, the Green Party candidate, said: “I was an active Pontypridd Town Councillor for five years and was instrumental in creating an environmental committee and passing a climate emergency motion. I joined the Green Party after realising that even the massive and destructive floods in RCT in February 2020 were not enough to wake other political parties up from their complacent approach to climate change.
“As an active community organiser I have founded two community organisations and a business in Pontypridd as well volunteering for a range of local organisations. I live in the Pontypridd area with my partner and our young daughter.
“If elected I will: Campaign for total divestment of RCT CBC pension funds invested in destructive fossil fuel industries, consistently argue for a genuine climate emergency policy at every level of government, press for a meaningful active travel strategy for RCT combined with an effective, integrated and properly resourced transport service, campaign to transform the superficial culture of minimal consultation in RCT County Borough Council ensuring that local people are actually involved in decisions and developments that impact on the future of Ynysybwl and RCT.”
Paula Evans, Plaid Cymru
Paula Evans, the Plaid Cymru candidate, said: “I am pleased to have been selected as the Plaid Cymru candidate for Ynysybwl and Coed y Cwm. I have lived in Ynysybwl my entire life and have been involved in community groups for over 35 years.
“For the past six years I have been a volunteer with Ynysybwl Enterprise Programme, organisers of the annual Gwyl Ynysybwl Festival. In 2017 I became clerk for Ynysybwl and Coed y Cwm Community Council and remained there for four years, gaining knowledge and insight into the workings of the community council and dealing with the general public, the local authority and other organisations on a daily basis
“In May of this year, I was elected as community councillor for the Lower ward of Ynysybwl and Coed y Cwm, intending to put the knowledge and experience I gained as clerk to good use. I am standing for the council election as I feel I have the right credentials to help local residents and to push forward ideas that will improve and progress our community.
“I am passionate about the village, it’s people and, if I am elected, I look forward to working towards making it an even better place to live.”
Richard Flowerdew, Labour
Richard Flowerdew, the Labour candidate, said: “It is an honour to have been given the opportunity to stand for Welsh Labour to represent the communities in which I live and play an active role in following the sad passing of Tony Burnell. I am proud to call Ynysybwl and Coed-y-Cwm my home, and I have raised my family in the community for the last 11 years.
“I volunteer with several groups across RCT and I am a governor at Trerobart School, and chair of the Ynysybwl Enterprise Programme, leading the dedicated team of volunteers that organise the hugely successful Gŵyl Ynysybwl Festival and Santa’s Journey amongst other local events. I work for a UK-wide youth organisation and I’m proud of our work with young people, never more so than during the recent lying in state period for Queen Elizabeth II, where I managed 176 young people supporting the queues in London.
“I regularly undertake voluntary activities locally and I am passionate about the impact that volunteers can have within their local community. We are fortunate to have some wonderful local organisations in the Ynysybwl and Coed-Y-Cwm area and if elected, supporting them would be a key priority of mine.”
Jessica O’Donovan, Gwlad
Jessica O’Donovan, the Gwlad candidate said: “As a young single parent I was pleased to take up the position of candidate for Gwlad the new Welsh party. Having been elected to our community council in 2021 I wish to go further. It’s disappointing Labour fail to stand for our local community council.
“I’m aware the financial rewards are far more being a councillor on RCT however it’s a reflection of where Labour candidates have their priorities yet again.” Jessica said she’s been involved in community activities including establishing the Christmas tree for Coed y Cwm and helps in forming new concepts for the area including tourism. She added the community is one of only two in the RCT area having funding to give the area an opportunity to show what it has to offer.
“The opportunity to build on my local work is a great motivation, my full time employer has been very supportive in wishing me well. At 26 years of age I believe I have proved myself locally, please consider giving me a opportunity to put my skills forward for the community.”
Jessica said that being a single mum whilst holding down a full time job is very helpful in assisting her current constituents and the party continues to give her its full support to improve her ambition of making the area a great place to live and work. She said it’s important to the party’s aims that it works with all to try to get a better life for residents who she said “have clearly been let down by both Plaid Cymru and Labour” where their representatives have “failed to get the rewards” for high rates being used predominantly for other political areas within the county borough.
If elected, she said she agrees to work with others on the council, however, on the principle Ynysybwl and Coed y Cwm will be her first priority. She said that after years of Westminster holding the purse strings whilst “taking our resources” to fund special funding in England such as the West Ham stadium and HS2, she said: “It’s our turn to fight for our community to get fair funding.”
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