Cynon Valley LAB Hold

Welsh assembly election

constituency

	Cynon Valley	LAB Hold

	CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES	%	+/-%
	Christine Chapman	LAB	10841	65.0	19.4
	David Walters	PC	3724	22.3	-20.1
	Rob Humphreys	LD	1120	6.7	-0.3
	Daniel Thomas	CON	984	5.9	1.1
		MAJORITY	7117	42.7
		TURNOUT	16669	37.5	-8.3

ELECTORATE	44473

Top-up region: South Wales Central

DESCRIPTION: Cynon Valley

Cynon Valley is typified by tightly-packed rows of terraced houses and buildings clinging to steep hillsides. There are high levels of unemployment and social deprivation in this typical valleys community based around such towns as Aberdare, Mountain Ash and Abercynon.The seat is also home to Tower Colliery, the last deep mine in Wales, but is still struggling to overcome the decline of heavy industry.

A couple of political earthquakes shook the foundations in 1999. Plaid Cymru capitalised on unhappiness with the local Rhondda Cynon Taff Council to end decades of Labour dominance and win control. On the same day, Plaid came within a few hundred votes of stealing what was considered a rock-solid Labour seat. Plaid council leader Pauline Jarman did become an AM through the regional list system, though she is stepping down from the assembly. At the 2001 Westminster election, however, Labour resumed its dominance with a majority of almost 50%. The local MP, Ann Clwyd, is one of the few left-wing Labour MPs to have supported the war in Iraq.

PREVIOUS RESULTS

	1999 WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS		LAB WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LAB	9883	45.6
	PC	9206	42.4
	LD	1531	7
	CON	1046	4.8

	2001 GENERAL ELECTION		LAB WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LAB	17685	65.6
	PC	4687	17.4
	LD	2541	9.4
	CON	2045	7.6