NEXT Wednesday, November 22, residents of the Talybont-on-Usk will be going to the polls to elect a new Powys county councillor.
Four candidates put their names forward and will contest the forthcoming by-election in the ward which is to the south of Brecon and within the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park.
Both the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives parties have submitted a candidate each and there are two candidates standing as Independents.
One of the candidates will be a familiar face to many at county hall in Llandrindod Wells.
Liam Fitzpatrick who is standing as an Independent was a cabinet member early on in the Independent/Conservative administration which ruled Powys from 2017 to 2022.
He left the main Independent group in 2019 and was a non-aligned councillor for a couple of years before forming the New Powys group in 2021.
The election follows the following the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Anita Cartwright at the end of September.
Ms Cartwright was elected in May 2022 and her time as a councillor was affected by ill-health and the controversial purchase by the Welsh government Gilestone farm for £4.25 million last year with a view to leasing it to the Green Man organisation.
Gilestone is in the ward and the deal has caused much anger and polarised the community there.
In a message on social media to residents Ms Cartwright said that following her “experience of cancer” she was stepping down from the pressure of politics to pursue her “lifelong dream of farming” and enjoy family life with her young children.
The candidates are:
- Raiff Devlin – Welsh Liberal Democrats.
- Charles De Winton – Welsh Conservative.
- Liam Fitzpatrick – Independent.
- David Markinson – Independent.
