Well it's time to get on the bike and travel around the Neath wards, having a look at the individual ward results.
I've decided to start my journey in Bryncoch North ward, an area where I've sunk a few pints of Wadworth 6X in the Dyffryn Arms many years ago. We'll travel towards Neath, then up the western side of the valley, cycle up the Dulais valley to Banwen, then drop down to Glynneath. Back down the Neath valley, via Cwmgwrach, Resolven and Tonna, into that hotbed of dashed hopes and broken promises courtesy of Welsh Labour, the town of Neath itself. A place where I've again sunk a few beers in my time.
Just as if I was cycling it (and I've done that circuit many times, but starting in a different place) I'll take a break at various points - hence this article will be posted up in segments too.
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Bryncoch North
The seat was retained by Plaid, being won by Wyndham Griffiths, who will be an outstanding asset to the community, a great replacement for the former hardworking Plaid councillor, John Bryant, who died a few months ago. He got 48% of the vote. There were only 42 votes separating the Welsh Labour and Conservative candidates despite Welsh Labour sending in some really big names to knock on doors. Perhaps that was the problem!
This was a strange one. The Tory man, Gavin Wycherley, announced on Facebook that his election leaflets were the most eco-friendly of all - because he never had any printed. Did he even knock on any doors? He wasn't at the count either. Does he even exist in real life you may ask? Oh, definitely so. On Facebook he was saying he was taking a holiday in Corfu, I think to to recuperate (?). Kavos, I wouldn't be at all surprised.
Jan Lockyer, the former Neath Town mayor, was the Welsh Labour candidate, frequently assisted in her canvassing by our own Baron of Bollinger, her husband Alan. Other dignitaries who delighted the locals were Christina Rees MP, Jeremy Miles AM, Derek Vaughan MEP, and Sian James (the former MP for Swansea East, and close neighbour of the Bollingers). I don't think Wyndham had anyone helping him other than family, fellow local Plaid candidates and local support on occasions. If anyone in Bryncoch can confirm they spotted Leanne Wood, Bethan Jenkins, Neil McEvoy, Adam Price or any Plaid big beast - let me know.
The most disturbing selfie I witnessed in this election was snapped in this ward. For legal reasons I am adding nothing to this comment, other than - would YOU open your door if this lot walked up your drive?
Bryncoch South
Janice Dudley and new candidate Chris Williams (a local man) comfortably took both seats for Plaid. Welsh Labour deservedly lost the seat previously held by their Invisible Man, Rob James. Their vote crashed in comparison to the previous election where Plaid and Labour could hardly be split, and in fact Alex Sims, whoever he was, was only 27 votes in front of the leading Conservative! A special mention to Catrin Louise Block and Frank Little. Their vote share belies the capabilities and the contribution that these two have and can make to public life. It's a story we'll find in other wards too, where excellent candidates lost out. What it shows to me is that some people in politics still have principles. The easy way to power in years gone by in NPT has been to join the Labour Party. It ain't so easy for those whose beliefs and principles keep them elsewhere. But thankfully, people are waking up to this tactic.
It's Janice's turn to be NPT Mayor this year so it's perhaps fitting that she topped the poll. My friends in the ward tell me there just wasn't much electricity generated there by the election, but fear not, enough was generated in the neighbouring Dyffryn ward to light up the whole of Neath.
Dyffryn
Another win for Plaid with Martyn Peters gaining a phenomenal 73% of the vote, Debbie Harvey (Welsh Labour) getting 27%. I believe this vote share is the second highest of NPT, the Lib Dem candidate in Coedffranc West (Helen Ceri Clarke) getting 75% (again against a Welsh Labour candidate, again against the spouse of an existing councillor, who happens to be Annette Wingrave who won the Cadoxton seat - what a coincidence).
When I visited this ward it was a sea of green and yellow Plaid posters, broken up here and there by a small number of Red ones of Welsh Labour. One thing's for sure - you knew there was an election on in this community! Councillors don't come with much more experience of fighting elections than Martyn Peters and once again he showed why he has seen off all that opposition over the years. Debbie Harvey was the first Welsh Labour candidate since 2004. It's rumoured that the last one is buried somewhere in Dyffryn Woods.
But Welsh Labour fired some heavy artillery into the ward. Jeremy Miles, Christina Rees (and her staff who always seemed to have plenty of time off to knock on doors), even the local Lord, Baron Hain on one occasion. They all turned out to support "Duffryn Debbie". Because fair play, she had in turn campaigned enough for them in the past. These big Labour beasts dared to venture into the domain of the Lion of Longford - but they never stayed long.
There have been some interesting stories coming out about things printed on Welsh Labour's election leaflets in this ward. I can't say any more at this stage as I believe the matter is a live issue.
Cadoxton
A seat won for the second time by Annette Wingrave for Welsh Labour. Annette must feel she's escaped by the skin of her teeth, under fire from Plaid, Conservatives, Lib Dem and Independent. As it turned out, because all these candidates were in the mix, it delivered the seat on a platter to her. Annette's council attendances are not clever, not clever at all. But the public were denied that information, thanks to the publication policy (there isn't one) of the Labour controlled council. She lives in Llandarcy, well outside the ward. But enough locals evidently believe in her to give her a second chance. As it turned out I don't believe any of the candidates live in the Cadoxton ward - what's the trouble there then?
Aberdulais
Who would believe it? Yet again Doreen Jones delivers for Welsh Labour! Doreen was joined in canvassing at one time by the Orange Baron, Lord Hain of Neath, and the man I call "The Talisman" after a description given him by Hain - Howard Davies, ex-agent of the Baron. The local Labour Party like to call him "The Silver Fox". Well, Orange and Silver together may have worked their old magic here.
Why did Plaid post a candidate who doesn't live in the ward or close to it? If they had not fought this seat because they had no local candidate then almost certainly Doreen would be checking out the cancellation policies on her travel insurance. Because the Independents had a good local man in Simon Peter Hopkins standing. What were Plaid thinking? Nothing against Daniel but why wasn't he run in the Neath area where he lives? Or was he local to the area at one time?
It seems to me that he was pushed into a poor third place because these are local elections and he was put up against two well known local people. How dull is that by Plaid? If the opposition to Labour in NPT are serious about ever getting rid of them they really need to speak to each other before candidates are chosen. Otherwise the public are going to be denied the representation and the changes they are crying out for in some areas.
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OK, I need to check my tyres, and have a sarnie and a drink now. I'll be back in the saddle after that, and we'll have a look at Crynant, Seven Sisters, Onllwyn, Glynneath, Cwmgwrach and Resolven, where I'll take another break, probably have a meal and a soft drink in the Farmers. See you all soon............
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