Local elections: Wales' last full week of council campaigning

As the final full week of campaigning for the local elections gets under way, Welsh political parties are ramping up their efforts to win votes.

Voting will take place in each of Wales' 22 local authorities on Thursday, 5 May with a total of 1,234 councillors to be elected.

For the first time at a council election level 16 and 17-year-olds are also eligible to vote.

Counting will take place the day after the elections rather than overnight.

Despite losing more than 100 seats at the last council elections in 2017, Welsh Labour has the largest number of councillors heading into the elections and has majority control of seven local authorities.

The party, led by First Minister Mark Drakeford, is hoping to build on its strong performance at last year's Senedd election when it won half the seats in Cardiff Bay.

With 10 days to go until polling day, Mr Drakeford said: "As we enter the final days of the local government election campaign we are focusing on the issues which matter to the people - the cost of living crisis and creating a stronger, fairer and greener Wales.

"We will be speaking to people throughout Wales to earn every vote. You know what you get with a Welsh Labour councillor - they are standing on a clear set of Welsh values and will work hand in hand with Welsh government, Welsh Labour MSs in the Senedd and Welsh Labour MPs in Parliament.

"Tory politicians are more concerned about protecting the prime minister's position and reputation than they are about helping people with the cost of-living crisis.

"Our Welsh Labour Party is focused on returning as many Welsh Labour councillors as possible, for stronger communities."

Welsh Conservatives were the big winners in 2017, increasing their representation on more than half of Wales' councils and securing a majority in Monmouthshire.

Last year the party won its highest ever number of Senedd seats.

But these elections come at a difficult time for the Tories as Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who visited Rhyl on Monday, remains under pressure over Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street.

"With only ten days to go, Welsh Conservative candidates are fighting hard to earn the votes of residents the length and breadth of the country," said Welsh Conservative Senedd group leader Andrew RT Davies.

"Our candidates have the best plans for their own areas.

"They will build on the progress already made by Welsh Conservatives in local government - and undo the damage done by arrogant Labour, complacent Plaid and ineffective independents.

"These elections are about what is happening in your local area, the things that matter to you, and only the Welsh Conservatives have a plan to deliver safer and stronger communities," he added.

Plaid Cymru go into the elections leading four councils, having made modest gains in 2017.

But a disappointing set of results for the party last May saw Plaid finish third at the Senedd election.

Since then, Plaid has reached a co-operation deal with Labour in Cardiff Bay, which has allowed it to get some of its policies through, including free school meals for all primary school children.

"Over the past few weeks local Plaid Cymru teams have been out day and night in communities across Wales with one message: voting Plaid Cymru makes a difference," said party leader Adam Price.

"Plaid Cymru councillors have a strong track record of standing side by side with people they represent - from running food banks to leading on the clean-up after floods.

"And over the past two years, Plaid Cymru's four council leaders and their teams have gone above and beyond to protect public health in their communities by ensuring children could continue to learn, businesses could continue to trade, and key services such as rubbish collections could continue to function," he said.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats lost ground in 2017 but were pleased to hold on to their single Senedd seat last May.

Party leader Jane Dodds said: "These elections are an opportunity to send a message to councils that they can't afford to take people for granted any longer.

"Across Wales, we are finding that people simply don't feel listened to.

"We are going door to door to hear people's real concerns and making their priorities our priorities."

One thing distinguishing local elections from other polls is that not being aligned with a major political party doesn't necessarily tend to preclude you from having a decent chance of winning seats.

Issues that people really care about on your patch, being active in the community and recognised locally can make a big difference, especially when the numbers turning up to vote can be low.

A spokesperson for the independent group on the Welsh Local Government Association said: "The independents are fielding a strong number of candidates at the forthcoming elections, during the last term independents led on seven authorities and were in coalition in five and was the second largest group in Wales.

"The focus on communities and local issues is what the independents are standing for, free of national politics which often contradicts what's best for our communities."