Two candidates will be elected to Flintshire County Council without a single vote being cast

A number of candidates standing for County Council and Town and Community Councils in Flintshire will be elected unopposed in next month’s local government elections.

The elections will take place on Thursday, May 5, to elect county councillors to Flintshire County Council and to elect councillors to local Town and Community Councils in Flintshire.

Nomination papers were required to be submitted to the council no later than 4pm yesterday (Tuesday, April 5).

67 county councillors will be appointed to Flintshire Council across 45 electoral wards in the area.

It follows recent changes made by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales, which have seen the number of councillors reduced from 70 and the number of wards from 57.

Denied a say

Voters in large parts of Wales will be denied a vote in this May’s local elections after dozens of council seats have already been decided before a single vote is cast.

New analysis by ERS Cymru estimates that 106,920 Welsh voters will be denied a say across Wales with elections effectively cancelled across the country.

Nine out of Wales’ 22 local authorities will see local representatives returned almost a month before polling day. In the worst-affected council area, Gwynedd, 30,722 voters will be denied a choice with 28 out of 69 already decided due to lack of competition.

Across Wales 74 councillors will be elected unopposed, leaving residents without a say over who represents them and their local areas – making decisions on key services such as health, housing and education.

In Flintshire, Steve Copple (Independent) is the only candidate standing in the Caerwys ward, he will be elected unopposed, the seat was previously held by Tudor Jones (Liberal Democrats).

Mike Allport (Independent) will be re-elected unopposed in Higher Kinnerton.

It means that nearly 6,000 voters in those two wards will not get a say in who represents them in the Flintshire Couty Council.

Jess Blair, Director ERS Cymru said: “For over 100,000 voters in Wales May’s elections have been effectively cancelled.

“Local elections are the cornerstone of our democracy – a chance for local people to have their say over how their local area is run and, importantly, over who represents them. But yet again thousands of voters are being denied a voice with results decided weeks before polling day.

“Uncontested seats are yet another symptom of our broken First Past the Post system – one which creates safe seats for some candidates and parties but no-go areas for others.

“However, we now have an opportunity to break this unhealthy cycle and give local democracy a much-needed shot in the arm.”

For the first time, local councils in Wales have the opportunity to switch over to the more proportional single transferable vote, which is already used in Scotland.

“This would mean politicians will have to fight for every vote as well as ending the scourge of safe seats and travesty of contests being won without a single vote being cast.”

Here is the full list of candidates standing in each ward published by Flintshire Council:

Argoed and New Brighton
Number of seats: two

Mared Eastwood – Liberal Democrats
Paul Andrew Jewell – Green Party
Chesleigh Kearney – Independent
Hilary McGuill – Liberal Democrats
Jack William Morris – Plaid Cymru
Graham John Sherwood – Labour

Bagillt
Number of seats: two

David Binns – Green Party
Rob Davies – Independent
Kevin Rush – Labour

Broughton North East
Number of seats: one

Barrie Gregory – Independent
Billy Mullin – Labour
Raphaëlle Soffe – Conservative

Broughton South
Number of seats: two

Penny Brett-Roberts – Independent
Duncan Clubbe – Conservative
Chrissy Gee – Independent
Mike Lowe – Labour
Ryan James McKeown – Labour

Brynford and Halkyn
Number of seats: two

Jean Davies – Conservative
Ray Faulder-Jones – Conservative
Simon Jones – Labour
Colin Legg – Independent

Buckley: Bistre East
Number of seats: two

Vivienne Blondek – Labour
Adie Drury – Labour
Richard Jones – Independent
Arnold Woolley – Independent

Buckley: Bistre West
Number of seats: two

David John Ellis – Independent
Carolyn Mary Preece – Labour
Dan Rose – Labour

Buckley: Mountain
Number of seats: one

Carol Ann Ellis – Independent
Kenneth Harry Preece – Labour

Buckley: Pentrobin
Number of seats: two

Dennis Hutchinson – Independent
Mike Peers – Independent
Dan Preece – Labour
Emma Louise Preece – Labour

Caergwrle
Number of seats: one

Suzanne Foy – Independent
Dave Healey – Labour

Caerwys
Number of seats: one

Steve Copple – Independent

Cilcain
Number of seats: one

Aled Hanson – Labour
Andrew John Parkhurst – Liberal Democrats
Owen Thomas – Independent

Connah’s Quay Central
Number of seats: Two

Bernie Attridge – Independent
Ryan O’Gorman – Labour
Debbie Owen – Independent
Tracey Sutton Postlethwaite – Labour

Connah’s Quay: Golftyn
Number of seats: two

Beverley Futia – Labour
Andy Hughes – Independent
Franko Richardson – Independent
Paul Shotton – Labour
Dave Vernon – Reform UK

Connah’s Quay South
Number of seats: two

Bill Crease – Independent
Ian Dunbar – Labour
Ian Smith – Labour
Steven David Tattum – Liberal Democrats
Antony Stephen Wren – Independent

Connah’s Quay: Wepre
Number of seats: one

Marie Goble – Liberal Democrats
Roz Mansell – Independent
Katie O’Connor – Green Party
Martin White – Labour

Flint: Castle
Number of seats: one

Steve Jones – Independent
Kathryn Price – Green Party
Ian Roberts – Labour

Flint: Coleshill and Trelawny
Number of seats: three

Paul Cunningham – Labour
Carol Ann Griffiths – Independent
Karl Jones – Independent
Michelle Perfect – Labour
Vicky Perfect – Labour
Nefyn Roberts – Conservative

Flint: Oakenholt
Number of seats: one

Mel Buckley – Labour
Rita Johnson – Independent

Greenfield
Number of seats: one

Rosetta Dolphin – Independent
Mike Jones – Labour
Matt Sprake – Conservative

Gwernaffield and Gwernymynydd
Number of seats: two

Huw Claydon – Labour
David Coggins Cogan – Liberal Democrats
Kathy Cracknell – Conservative
Adele Davies-Cooke – Conservative
Christopher Harris – Green Party
Saffron Hulson – Independent
Klara Lethbridge – Liberal Democrats

Hawarden: Aston
Number of seats: two

Gillian Louise Brockley – Labour
Helen Brown – Independent
George Hardcastle – Independent

Hawarden: Ewloe
Number of seats: two

Janet Anne Axworthy – Independent
Lesley Evans – Conservative
Christopher Goble – Liberal Democrats
Dave Mackie – Independent
Linda Thomas – Labour

Hawarden: Mancot
Number of seats: two

George Chawner – Independent
Ralph Small – Independent
Sam Swash – Labour
Ant Turton – Independent

Higher Kinnerton
Number of seats: one

Mike Allport – Independent

Holywell Central
Number of seats: one

Ted Palmer – Labour
Daniel Thomas – Independent

Holywell East
Number of seats: one

Ian Hodge – Independent
Joe Johnson – Labour
Theresa Murray – Liberal Democrats
Emma Ward – Conservative

Holywell West
Number of seats: one

Lynda Ann Carter – Independent
Paul Johnson – Labour

Hope
Number of seats: one

John Dickin – Independent
Gladys Healey – Labour

Leeswood
Number of seats: one

Joseph Caruana – Independent
Ray Hughes – Labour
Shaun Owen – Independent

Llanasa and Trelawnyd
Number of seats: two

Glyn Banks – Independent
Tom Beal – Independent
Rachel Bolger – Green Party
Gina Maddison – Labour
Timothy James Garner Roberts – Conservative

Llanfynydd
Number of seats: one

Tim Holt – Independent
Dave Hughes – Labour

Mold: Broncoed
Number of seats: one

Haydn Bateman – Independent
Teresa Carberry – Labour
Tim Maunders – Conservative
Gareth Derek Williams – Independent

Mold East
Number of seats: one

Paul Beacher – Independent
Chris Bithell – Labour

Mold South
Number of seats: one

David Anthony Blainey – Green Party
Geoff Collett – Labour
Bob Gaffey – Plaid Cymru
Edward David Goble – Liberal Democrats
Haydn Wynne Jones – Independent

Mold West
Number of seats: one

Tina Susan Claydon – Labour
Joanne Edwards – Liberal Democrats
Brian Lloyd – Independent
Geoffrey Matthias – Independent

Mostyn
Number of seats: one

Pam Banks – Independent
Patrick Heesom – Independent
Lee Lavery – Green Party
Heather Alison Prydderch – Liberal Democrats
Les Waymont – Conservative

Northop
Number of seats: two

Paul Ashley – Independent
Marion Bateman – Independent
Ben Goldsborough – Labour
Tony Sharps – Independent
Uzma Sikander – Liberal Democrats
Linda Thew – Independent

Pen-y-ffordd
Number of seats: two

Alasdair Ibbotson – Labour
Roy Alan Wakelam – Independent
David Walker – Labour
David Williams – Independent

Queensferry and Sealand
Number of seats: two

Roger Cracknell – Conservative
Christine Jones – Labour
Lesley Povey – Independent
Lionel Prouve – Liberal Democrats
Dale Selvester – Independent
David Wisinger – Labour

Saltney Ferry
Number of seats: two

Veronica Gay – Independent
Richard Lloyd – Labour
Jason Shallcross – Independent
Shelly Streeter – Labour
Kinza Sutton – Conservative

Shotton East and Shotton Higher
Number of seats: two

Ron Davies – Labour
David Evans – Labour
Mike Evans – Independent
Kelly Evans-Brown – Independent

Shotton West
Number of seats: one

Sean Bibby – Labour
Steve Biffo Griffiths – Independent

Treuddyn 
Number of seats: one

Eva Bech – Labour
Allan Marshall – Independent
Jonny Sheppard – Independent

Whitford
Number of seats: one

Chris Dolphin – Independent
Helen Papworth – Labour