Wales Anglesey News

Welsh Labour sources have confirmed that its councillors on Anglesey have reached a deal to form an administration with Independent members. The deal was approved by the party's governing body, the National Executive Committee.

• Politics
• Labour
• Welsh Labour

It's reported that Anglesey's three Labour councillors have reached an agreement with the Independents to form a new administration after last week's elections. The deal excludes Plaid Cymru, which has 12 councillors and is the party with the most seats, though outnumbered by the 14 independents.

The independents have not always acted as a single group and their disagreements were blamed by the Welsh Government when it took control of the council away from the elected members and imposed commissioners to run local services on the island.

Ministers will have to decide whether there is now a stable administration to take back control of the county council. The Welsh Labour Executive also has to decide whether to ratify any coalition agreement involving the party's councillors.

• Politics
• Anglesey
• Ynys Mon

Any deal involving Labour councillors sharing power on Anglesey would need the approval of the party's Welsh executive. It's now thought unlikely that talks with the Independent councillors will conclude today.

• Politics
• Anglesey
• Ynys Mon

There are reports that Labour councillors are close to a deal with Independent councillors to run Anglesey council following last week's inconclusive election result. It's thought an agreement could be announced as soon as lunchtime.

Such a deal would be a blow for Plaid Cymru. It's the largest party but without enough seats to rule alone. And the Labour councillors can expect face heavy criticism for supporting the return of rule by the independents, who were blamed by the Welsh Government for the authority's difficulties.

Ministers must decide if the leadership of the new council is stable enough to take over from the commissioners sent in to sort out Anglesey's problems. The reported deal would involve the three Labour councillors, those Independents who operate as a group and others who act alone.

• Politics
• Labour
• Plaid Cymru

Plaid Cymru councillors on Anglesey are 'trying to build a coalition' based on a partnership with Labour members, according to a leading party figure. But Simon Thomas AM said voters on the island deserve 'clear party vision' for the authority.

Last week's election left the council with no overall party or group in control. Even if Plaid and Labour reach an agreement, they'll still only control half of the council's seats. But Mr Thomas said his party is 'interested in leading a coalition.'

Other party figures have ruled out working with Independent councillors in any administration.

• Politics
• Plaid Cymru
• Simon Thomas

Opposition leader Andrew RT Davies says he's 'always taken UKIP as a threat' and treated it as seriously as any other political competitor. He was speaking after the Welsh Conservatives ended up behind UKIP in last week's Anglesey council election.

UKIP's success in council elections in England last week has sparked intense debate within the Tory party with some amongst the leadership accused of not taking the UKIP challenge seriously.

Andrew RT Davies said he always had done so, adding that 'any party ... if they're on the ballot paper has the potential to take the vote from you. I take every candidate seriously.' Two successive ITV Wales polls have suggested UKIP could make gains from the Welsh Conservatives in Assembly votes.

• Politics
• UKIP
• Andrew RT Davies

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams refused to say which political group or groups her party's sole councillor on Anglesey is in coalition talks with. No party has overall control of the council following last week's election.

Asked if the Lib Dem councillor Aled Morris-Jones was negotiating with Independent councillors, Kirsty Williams would only say that Mr Morris-Jones is 'keen to use whatever influence he has to benefit the people of the island.'

• Politics
• Kirsty Williams
• Welsh Liberal Democrats

Opposition leader Andrew RT Davies has admitted that his party's performance in last week's council elections on Anglesey was 'not good enough.' Conservatives failed to win any seat and picked up just 6% of the vote, behind UKIP which achieved 7%.

Mr Davies said that 'we failed to communicate with the electorate' and that it was 'not good enough' just to have candidates in the field. He said the party would learn from that and added that 'We know where our fault lines lie and they'll be ruthlessly - and I mean ruthlessly - sorted out.'

• Politics
• Conservatives
• Welsh Conservatives

Independent councillors have won nearly half the seats on Anglesey council despite being blamed by the political parties for the island's problems.

But they no longer dominate the council and tonight it looks likely that Plaid Cymru will try to take the leadership after doing a deal with the other parties.

There are a total of 30 members of the newly elected local authority.

• Independents 14 seats
• Plaid Cymru 12 seats
• Labour 3 seats
• Lib Dems 1 seat

• Politics
• Anglesey
• Ynys Mon

Only one ward - Aberffraw with two council seats - is still to declare in the Anglesey elections.

The results in the other 28 seats mean Plaid Cymru is the biggest party but is outnumbered by independents.

• Independents 13 seats
• Plaid Cymru 11 seats
• Labour 3 seats
• Lib Dems 1 seat

• Politics
• Anglesey
• Ynys Mon