Jacob Williams https://jacobwilliams.com

Holding back?

There’s a week to go until nominations for Pembrokeshire County Council’s 2022 election close.

One thing most council-watchers seem to agree on is just how few candidates have come out of the woodwork compared to this stage ahead of the last election in 2017.

It’s not obvious why concealing one’s candidature could be deemed a winning electoral strategy, and it’s leading to all sorts of speculation that we could be in for a record year of uncontested seats.

Thirteen of Pembrokeshire’s sixty wards went without a contest in 2017, and it’ll be interesting if the 2022 figures are anywhere close to that.

It might be an interesting exercise to assess the makeup of the new council against the unprecedented interference by the Welsh Government, and various other bodies, to ‘diversify’ local representation this time around.

The distinct lack of election fever in the air makes early analysis of the various races a difficult task – but shy candidates won’t be able to stay in the shadows for too much longer, as the publication of all nominees shortly follows the close of nominations in early April.

Of course there are many incumbents who have said they are standing, and even some, like me, who have already done door-knocking rounds as part of their re-election campaigns.

Among those who have said they’re calling it a day this May are ‘The Voice’ of Johnston, Ken Rowlands.

Longtime Clydau ward member Rod Bowen is also stepping down – ending an almost unbelievable run, having served nearly two decades without ever receiving a single vote.

First elected to Pembrokeshire County Council in 2004 without a contest, the genial Plaid Cymru representative has been unopposed at every election since – 2008, 2012 and 2017!

Saundersfoot’s Phil Baker has honoured his long-time pledge not to run again in 2022 – despite what many would see as a certain victory had he chosen to.

County-wide boundary changes, which have been on the backburner for about a decade, mean Saundersfoot is being split – the southern bulk forming a new electoral division, with the village’s northern portion merging with the present Amroth ward.

This change to the electoral map could make or break the re-election bid of Amroth incumbent Tony Baron, Conservative.

If he stands, Cllr. Baron will be trying to defend 2017’s smallest majority of two votes – gained in a particularly good election year for the Tories.

Meanwhile in Pembroke, the new Monkton and St. Mary South ward will be one to watch.

It’s electing two councillors on May 5th, as the sole ward to emerge from the boundary review as a multi-member electoral division.

Tipsters say the perennial Daphne Bush could be associated with this, or any of the two other wards making up the town which gives the county its name.

Ditto Jonathan Nutting and David Edwards!

It would seem that the narrowly-elected member for the soon-to-be-abolished Pembroke Dock Llanion ward, Joshua Beynon, grudgingly came to the realisation that he’d made himself unelectable, so won’t be risking defeat in a few weeks’ time.

Making a big announcement at the start of the year, Cllr. Beynon said that he needed “some time away from the public eye.”

I can’t have been the only one who thought his explanatory statement was trying too hard to convince us all that he wasn’t someone running scared.

In it he claimed to have privately confided in his nearest and dearest prior to the 2017 election: “that I would only want to stand for one term” because “I wanted to do what was right, even if unpopular, not what was in the best interests of my political career.”

Josh’s unlikely back-story may have had a better chance had he not prefaced his January bombshell with the inconsistent: “I’ve taken the difficult decision to not stand for re-election in May 2022.”

JW understands Narberth incumbent Vic Dennis is another Labour councillor from the 2017 intake who won’t be defending his seat.

Marc Tierney – who has stood several times for the party locally in various Westminster and Cardiff Bay races – is being mentioned as Labour’s potential Narberth runner, but nothing official so far.

The biggest shock to many is that longtime Tenby councillor, Mike Evans, is stepping down.

If I do go on to win another term I can’t deny I’ll miss Mike’s malapropisms.

Some of my favourites include his reference to “the Emperor’s new shoes,” and his ever-enduring mix-up between the names of Wiston councillor David Howlett and legendary All Blacks winger Doug Howlett.

The list of all candidates will be published shortly after the close of nominations on 5th April. I’ll probably have more to say on this election cycle in due course.