Bigyn (electoral ward)

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Bigyn is an electoral ward, representing part of the community of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is a three-member ward for the purposes of elections to Carmarthenshire County Council, with the number of councillors being increased from two to three for the elections held in May 2022.

Profile

In 2014, the Bigyn electoral ward had an electorate of 4,931.^[1] The total population was 6,750, of whom 83% were born in Wales. 23.0% of the population were able to speak Welsh.^[1]

Current Representation

The Bigyn Ward is a three-member ward for the purposes of Carmarthenshire County Council elections. Since 2022 it has been represented by Independent Michael Cranham and Labour Party councillors Janet Williams and Philip Warlow.^[2]

Carmarthen County Council elections

The first election to the new unitary Carmarthenshire County Council took place in 1995. Bigyn Ward had three seats, all of which were won by the Labour Party. Martin Morris, the sitting member for the ward on Dyfed County Council, was elected alongside Sandra Cooke and David Prothero, a former county councillor. Three sitting members of Llanelli Borough Council were unsuccessful.

Bigyn 1995
	Candidate	Votes
Labour	Martin Philip Morris+	1,090
Labour	Sandra Melita Cooke	924
Labour	David Charles Prothero	902
Independent	William J Marks*	693
Liberal Democrats	Margaret N Burree*	676
Independent	Richard Ivor John*	531
Labour gain from Independent		Swing
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing
Labour gain from Independent		Swing

At the 1999, the boundaries remained unchanged but the number of seats were reduced from three to two. Martin Morros contested the Tyisha Ward, where he was successful, allowing his two colleagues to be returned for Bigyn.

Bigyn 1999
	Candidate	Votes
Labour	Sandra Melita Cooke*	1,172
Labour	David Charles Prothero*	1,077
Liberal Democrats	Margaret Eileen Evans	856
Liberal Democrats	Peter Buckley Jones	724
Labour hold		Swing
Labour hold		Swing

Labour again held both seats in 2004.

Bigyn
	Candidate	Votes
Labour	Sandra Melita Cooke*	728
Labour	David Charles Prothero*	631
Plaid Cymru	Michael Burns	495
Independent	Brian Davies	410
Independent	Lawrence Jenkins	351
Labour hold		Swing
Labour hold		Swing

In 2008, Labour fared badly in the Llanelli area as a whole and lost both seats in Bigyn to Plaid Cymru.

Bigyn 2008
	Candidate	Votes
Plaid Cymru	Michael Burns	740
Plaid Cymru	Dyfrig Thomas	729
Labour	Sandra Melita Cooke*	603
Labour	David Charles Prothero*	476
Independent	Brian Davies	230
Independent	Peter William Dunkley	210
Independent	Lawrence Jenkins	202
Independent	Dai Rees	84
Plaid Cymru gain from Labour		Swing
Plaid Cymru gain from Labour		Swing

In 2012, Labour, having held all seats in Bigyn from 1995 until 2008, regained both on a low turnout. Eryl Morgan was previously county councillor for Hengoed.

Bigyn 2012
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Eryl Morgan	609
	Labour	Jeff Edmunds	565
	Plaid Cymru	Michael Burns*	523
	Plaid Cymru	Dyfrig Thomas*	518
	Independent	Nigel Bevan	401
	People First	Stephen Bowen	287
Turnout				33.3
	Labour gain from Plaid Cymru		Swing
	Labour gain from Plaid Cymru		Swing

Bigyn 2017
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Jeff Edmunds	610	20
	Labour	Eryl Morgan	575	19
	Independent	Terry Morris	428	14
	Independent	Nigel Bevan	414	13
	Plaid Cymru	Michael Burns	333	11
	Plaid Cymru	Kathryn Lodge	304	10
	Conservative	Robert Thomas	236	8
	Independent	Stephen Bowen	181	6
Turnout			3081	35.48
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

In May 2022, Independent Michael Cranham and Labour's Janet Williams came first and second. The third place vote was tied, on 596 votes, between the other two Labour candidates Philip Warlow and David Darkin. The winner was decided by the toss of a coin, with Warlow guessing correctly.^[2]

Earlier History

County Council Elections

The long-standing ward boundaries in Llanelli were redrawn in the 1980s to create five new wards, namely Bigyn, Elli, Glanymor, Lliedi and Tyisha. Each of these wards returned a member to Dyfed County Council in 1989 and 1993.

When the current Carmarthenshire County Council was formed in 1995, the Bigyn Wards remained unchanged and initially returned three members to the new authority. This was reduced to two members in 1999.

District Council Elections

From 1987, Bigyn formed an electoral ward for the purposes of elections to Llanelli Borough Council. Bigyn returned three members.

External links

"Bigyn Ward: Electoral Division Profile" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2014.

References

^ ^a ^b "Bigyn Ward: Electoral Division Profile" (PDF). Carmarthenshire County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
^ ^a ^b Robert Dalling (6 May 2022). "The full election result for Carmarthenshire as Plaid remains the largest party despite leader losing seat". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 July 2022.

[2014_Bigyn_ward_profile-1] "Bigyn Ward: Electoral Division Profile" (PDF). Carmarthenshire County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.

[Walesonline_2022_results-2] Robert Dalling (6 May 2022). "The full election result for Carmarthenshire as Plaid remains the largest party despite leader losing seat". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 July 2022.

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