Forward Wales wins first seat

Counting got underway quickly in Wrexham

The Forward Wales party founded by former Labour MP and AM John Marek has won its first seat on Wrexham Council.

With counting under way, Forward Wales candidate David Bithell took the Johnstown ward by 492 votes to 444 from Labour.

Wrexham Labour leader Shan Wilkinson said she was expecting "a few knocks" for her party, but she hung on to her Bryn Cefn seat by 14 votes after a challenge from Forward Wales.

Forward Wales was also within six votes of taking a seat in the Minera ward.

Mr Bithell said he was "honoured" to be the first Forward Wales councillor in Wrexham.

He said: "We've pushed Labour very, very hard and we're not disappointed not to have made further breakthroughs - if you look at the Minera ward, the result was very close and we lost by just six votes."

John Marek, founder of Forward Wales, was at the count

Dr Marek, who is still the Forward Wales AM for Wrexham, left Labour after he failed to be selected by the party at last year's assembly election.

Shan Wilkinson, visibly moved after managing to keep hold of her seat, said she "absolutely knew it was very close" after she retained her seat in the council.

"I knew that there would be a significant vote against me," she said.

"I knew from the start it was going to be a difficult contest but I'm sorry that we'll be saying goodbye to some very good councillors."

Labour have held onto Flintshire - with 37 of the 70 seats.

Under the new results Plaid Cymru have one seat, Liberal Democrats 10, Independent Party 18 and The Conservative Party four.

However, an early result saw outspoken Green councillor Klaus Armstrong-Braun lose his Saltney Stonebridge seat to the Labour candidate Terence Walker.

Counting of the votes cast in Denbighshire got underway just after 1200 BST on Friday.

Forty five per cent of the population turned out to register their vote on Thursday.

The turnout was higher than the turnout recorded at last year's Welsh Assembly elections.