2022 Cardiff Council election explained

Election Name:2022 Cardiff Council election
Country:Wales
Flag Image:Flag of Cardiff.svg
Type:Parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Party Colour:yes
Majority Seats:40
Election Date:5 May 2022
Party1:Welsh Labour
Last Election1:40
Seats Before1:39
Seats1:55
Leader2:Adrian Robson
Party2:Welsh Conservatives
Last Election2:20
Seats Before2:21
Seats2:11
Leader3:Rhys Taylor
Party3:Welsh Liberal Democrats
Last Election3:11
Seats Before3:11
Seats3:10
Party4:Common Ground Alliance
Last Election4:New party
Seats Before4:4
Seats4:2
Party5:Propel (political party)
Last Election5:New party
Seats Before5:3
Seats5:1
Council control
Posttitle:Council control after election
Map Size:375px

The 2022 Cardiff Council election took place on 5 May 2022[1] to elect 79 members to Cardiff Council. On the same day, elections were held to the other 21 local authorities and to community councils in Wales as part of the 2022 Welsh local elections.

The 2022 election had been postponed from 2021, and was contested under new ward boundaries, which also increased the number of seats from 75 to 79. The next election will take place in 2027, following an increase in the council term from four years to five years.

At the election, Labour maintained its overall control of the council, increasing its number of seats from 40 at the last election to 55. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats lost ten seats and one seat respectively, to a total of 11 and 10, while Common Ground, an electoral pact between Plaid Cymru and Wales Green Party, won two seats. Propel won one seat.

Background

Postponement

Council elections in Wales were originally scheduled for May 2021, but were delayed to avoid a conflict with the 2021 Senedd election.[2]

The length of council term was also increased from four years to five years to avoid future clashes, meaning that, after 2022, the next council election is expected in 2027.

Ward changes

The number of councillors increased from 75 to 79 at the 2022 election, with a number of ward changes.[3]

In October 2021, Cardiff Council accepted a number of ward change proposals for the next election made by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales, with only slight modification.[4] The changes gave a better parity of representation. Twenty-one wards remained unchanged. Of the other wards:[5]

Council term and campaign

The Labour group have been in control of Cardiff Council since 2012.

In 2019, three by-elections (Ely, February 2019; Cyncoed, July 2019; and Whitchurch & Tongwynlais, October 2019) were called following the deaths of the sitting councillors.[6] [7] [8] Plaid Cymru gained the Ely seat from Labour, while the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives held their seats in the other by-elections.[9] [10]

In March 2018, Cllr Neil McEvoy was expelled from Plaid Cymru after allegedly disruptive behaviour at the party's 2017 spring conference.[11] Following the controversy, in October 2019, the three remaining Plaid Cymru councillors resigned their whips, and formed an independent group with McEvoy.[12] McEvoy and Cllrs Keith Parry and Lisa Ford would later join McEvoy's new party Propel, while Cllr Andrea Gibson, who won the Ely by-election, was elected for Common Ground in Pentyrch and St Fagans at the 2022 election.

In November 2019, the Conservatives gained a seat in Llanishen following a by-election triggered by the resignation of the sitting Labour councillor.[13] [14] In November 2021, Labour won a by-election in Heath following the resignation of an independent councillor.[15]

The Welsh Cladiators, a residents group campaigning against fire defective buildings, hoped to stand in the Butetown ward, but ultimately did not.[16]

Common Ground Alliance

See also: Co-operation between the Green Party and Plaid Cymru.

Common Ground Alliance
Country:Wales

In September 2021, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party announced an electoral pact which would see them fielding a joint slate of candidates in Cardiff. Neither party had sitting councillors: Plaid Cymru's councillors elected in 2017 had been either expelled or had quit the party. In the election, the two parties fielded a common slate of candidates, known as the Common Ground Alliance.[17] Of the 70 Common Ground Alliance candidates, 46 were from Plaid Cymru with the remaining 24 from the Green Party.[18] The alliance's campaign was formally launched on 24 April 2022.[19]

In the election, Common Ground won 17% of votes across the city, coming third behind Labour and the Conservatives.[20] They won two seats, both in the Pentyrch and St Fagans ward,[21] [22] while the Liberal Democrats returned 10 councillors on a smaller share of the vote.[20]

The Alliance's elected councillors are Andrea Gibson and Rhys Owain Livesey.[22]

Candidates by party

A total of 358 candidates stood for the 79 seats on the council, an average of 4.5 candidates per seat. Eleven parties or alliances stood candidates, plus two independent candidates.

Both the Labour and the Conservatives stood the full 79 candidates. The Common Ground Alliance and the Liberal Democrats stood in all 28 wards, while Propel stood in 21 wards (75%) and the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition stood in 15 wards (54%).

PartyNumber of candidatesNumber of wards
7928
7928

(Plaid Cymru and Wales Green Party)
7028
6728
3821
1515
44
21
11
11
11
11
Total358 / 7928

Overview of results

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Ward results

* = sitting councillor in this ward prior to election

Fairwater (3 seats)

Sitting councillors, McEvoy, Ford and Parry, were elected for Plaid Cymru at the 2017 election. McEvoy was expelled, Ford and Parry later resigned and sat as Independents.[23] McEvoy later founded a new party, Propel.

In this election Labour gained two seats from Plaid Cymru, and McEvoy retained his seat representing a gain for Propel from Plaid Cymru.

Gabalfa (2 seats)

S

Heath (3 seats)

Sitting councillor, Julie Sangani, had been elected at a by-election in November 2021, following the retirement of long standing Independent councillor Fenella Bowden.[24]

Lisvane and Thornhill (3 seats)

Candidates John Lancaster and Sian-Elin Melbourne were councillors for the Llanishen ward prior to this election.

Llanishen (2 seats)

Boundary changes resulted in the community of Thornhill being moved out of the ward at this election (merging with Lisvane to form the new Lisvane and Thornhill ward). Prior to the election all seats were held by Conservative councillors.

Pentyrch and St Fagans (3 seats)

Common Ground candidate Andrea Gibson was elected as a Plaid Cymru councillor for Ely in a by-election in February 2019.[25] Gibson left Plaid Cymru in October 2019[23] and later sat as an independent.[26]

This ward was formed by a merger of Pentyrch and Creigiau/St Fagans, which both elected one Conservative councillor each in 2017. In this election, Pentyrch and St Fagans elected three councillors (a net increase of one).

Whitchurch and Tongwynlais (4 seats)

Reaction and aftermath

Labour leader Huw Thomas put the parties success down the parties track record and a "positive campaign".[27] The party had reached an historic third term in power, going forward Thomas promised to make Cardiff "stronger, greener, and fairer".

Adrian Robson leader of the Cardiff Conservatives blamed the election results on the national picture,[28] Conservative party leader and Prime Minister Boris Johnson had become under fire for parties hosted during lockdown (See: Partygate)

By-elections between 2022 and 2027

Grangetown

The by-election was caused by the death of Labour councillor Abdul Sattar on 15 February 2024.[29]

See also

External links

Party manifestos

Notes and References

  1. News: Plaid Cymru and Greens form Cardiff council election pact . . 24 September 2021 . 30 November 2021 .
  2. News: Mosalski . Ruth . 24 September 2019 . The date of the next council elections in Wales has moved . . 30 November 2021.
  3. Web site: 1 October 2021 . Cardiff Council Boundary Reforms Confirmed . 30 November 2021 . Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales.
  4. News: Alex Seabrook . 5 October 2021 . Cardiff will get four extra councillors in May as electoral ward boundaries redrawn . Wales Online . 30 November 2021.
  5. Web site: 5 November 2020 . Cardiff Final Recommendations . 30 November 2021 . Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales.
  6. News: 22 February 2019 . Plaid Cymru beat Labour in Cardiff council's Ely by-election . Wales Online . 5 March 2019.
  7. News: Discombe . Matt . 18 May 2019 . 'Gentle and courageous' Cardiff councillor Wendy Congreve dies after battle with illness . Wales Online . 17 July 2019.
  8. News: Discombe . Matt . 6 June 2019 . 'Father of Cardiff Council' Tim Davies has died aged 77 . Wales Online . 17 July 2019.
  9. Web site: Cyncoed By Election - Tuesday 16th July, 2019 . 17 July 2019 . City of Cardiff Council.
  10. Web site: Whitchurch and Tongwynlais By-Election - Thursday, 3rd October, 2019 . 4 October 2019 . City of Cardiff Council.
  11. News: 2019-07-10 . Neil McEvoy drops Plaid Cymru membership bid . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-01-11.
  12. News: 2019-10-23 . Plaid Cymru Cardiff councillors resign party whip . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-01-11.
  13. Web site: Llanishen By Election - Thursday, 21st November, 2019 . 24 May 2020 . City of Cardiff Council.
  14. News: Discombe . Matt . 18 May 2019 . Former leader of Cardiff council Phil Bale to step away from politics . Wales Online . 29 May 2020.
  15. News: Seabrook . Alex . 2 November 2021 . The candidates battling to win Cardiff's by-election next week after councillor retires . Wales Online . 7 May 2022.
  16. Web site: Graham-Brown . Daisy . 30 November 2021 . Campaigners appeal for cladding victims to stand at council elections . 30 November 2021 . The Cardiffian.
  17. Web site: Owen . Twm . Plaid Cymru launch local election campaign on Tory ground . 8 April 2022 . The National . 9 April 2022 . en.
  18. News: Council elections 2022: Green Party predicts double figure result in Wales . 13 April 2022 . BBC News . 12 April 2022.
  19. Web site: Ruth Mosalski . 19 April 2022 . Plaid Cymru and Green Party alliance reveal their plans for Cardiff . 2022-11-03 . Wales Online.
  20. Web site: Election results by party, 5 May 2022 : Cardiff Council. cardiff.moderngov.co.uk. 5 May 2022 . 2022-11-03.
  21. News: Cardiff local election results 2022: Labour leader describes party victory as 'historic' as it grows seat number . Wales Online. 6 May 2022 . 2023-02-09.
  22. Web site: Election results for Pentyrch and St Fagans, 5 May 2022 : Cardiff Council. cardiff.moderngov.co.uk. 5 May 2022 . 2022-11-03.
  23. News: Plaid Cymru Cardiff councillors resign party whip . BBC News . 23 October 2019 . 4 May 2022 .
  24. News: Labour wins by-election in Cardiff gaining a councillor in Heath and Birchgrove. Wales Online. 3 May 2022.
  25. Web site: Ely By Election - Thursday 21 February, 2019. City of Cardiff Council. 1 May 2022.
  26. Web site: Councillor profile . City of Cardiff Council. 1 May 2022.
  27. Web site: Barnes . Ed . Mosalski . Ruth . Hayward . Will . Seabrook . Alex . 2022-05-06 . Cardiff Labour leader describes party's election victory as 'historic' . 2024-05-10 . Wales Online . en.
  28. Web site: Mansfield . Mark . 2022-05-06 . Labour hold Cardiff council and win third term increasing majority by 16 seats . 2024-05-10 . Nation.Cymru . en-GB.
  29. News: Emotional tributes as councillor and beloved community figure dies suddenly. Wales Online . 16 February 2024. 26 April 2024.