Plaid extends majority on Gwynedd Council following win in Harlech by-election

PLAID Cymru has extended its majority on Gwynedd Council following a narrow win in the Harlech by-election.

Thursday’s poll resulted in a tight three way split, but Harlech and Talsarnau will be represented by Cllr Gwynfor Owen for at least the next 10 months.

With a majority of just seven votes, Cllr Owen pipped independent candidates Lisa Birks and Martin James Hughes in the poll prompted by the resignation of former councillor Freya Bentham earlier this year.

As a result, the move marks a gain for Plaid Cymru from the independents.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after his win, Cllr Owen said: “I’m privileged to have been elected to represent the ward and will be looking at howe we answer the housing problem in Harlech, where there are big problems with local people not being able to afford to buy.

“There’s a big holiday home issue so employment and housing will be my main priorities, but of course there are also other ward issues to look at.

“I’d like to thank the voters as well as the other candidates during the campaign.”

The result means that Plaid now holds 40 of the 75 available seats on the authority.

But the seat will again be up for grabs, like all others in Gwynedd, when the next local elections take place in May 2022.

Cllr Owen added, “I’m not looking at next year at the moment, I’m concentrating on working as hard as I can for the ward and its residents.”