By-election in Ebbw Vale South ward

Voters in part of Ebbw Vale will be voting for a new Blaenau Gwent County Borough Councillor on Thursday, February 8.

A by-election for a seat in the Ebbw Vale South ward will be contested by three candidates, Jonathan Millard, Jonathan Powell, and Amy Smith.

The deadline for candidate nominations closed last Friday, January 12.

Mr Millard who is standing as an Independent will be hoping to return to the council having lost his seat in the 2022 May local election.

Mr Powell is standing as a candidate for the Green Party and Ms Smith is Labour’s selection for the ward.

The by-election is needed following the resignation in November of Labour councillor for the ward and the council’s cost of living champion, Carl Bainton.

Mr Bainton’s resignation was due to a clash between his work and role as a councillor.

In October last year,  Mr Bainton’s role was brought into question due to staff employed by the Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations (GAVO) on Communities for Work Plus being transferred into the council.

This caused a legal issue for Mr Bainton as councillors are not allowed to work for the local authority they represent.

Mr Bainton’s tenure started on a controversial note as he was, he was elected in May 2022 as an Independent before crossing over to join the Labour group within a matter of days.

The ward is represented by two councillors.

The other councillor for Ebbw Vale South- who is not up for election – is Labour’s Cllr Sue Edmunds who is the council’s Cabinet member for Education.

The council currently has 21 Labour councillors, 11 Independent councillors and one vacancy.