:Bigyn (electoral ward)
{{Short description|Electoral ward in Carmarthenshire, Wales}}
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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.{{cite web|title=Bigyn Ward: Electoral Division Profile |url=http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/wards/Bigyn_Ward.pdf |website=Carmarthenshire County Council |accessdate=15 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211012818/http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/wards/Bigyn_Ward.pdf |archivedate=11 December 2014 }} The total population was 6,750, of whom 83% were born in Wales. 23.0% of the population were able to speak Welsh.
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.{{cite news |author=Robert Dalling |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/carmarthenshire-local-elections-2022-live-23845356 |title=The full election result for Carmarthenshire as Plaid remains the largest party despite leader losing seat |work=Wales Online |date=6 May 2022 |access-date=17 July 2022 }}
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.
{{Election box begin | title= Bigyn 1995}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Martin Philip Morris+
|votes = 1,090
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Sandra Melita Cooke
|votes = 924
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = David Charles Prothero
|votes = 902
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = William J Marks*
|votes = 693
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
|candidate = Margaret N Burree*
|votes = 676
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Richard Ivor John*
|votes = 531
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|loser = Independent (politician)
|swing =
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{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|loser = Liberal Democrats (UK)
|swing =
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{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|loser = Independent (politician)
|swing =
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{{Election box end}}
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.
{{Election box begin | title= Bigyn 1999 }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Sandra Melita Cooke*
|votes = 1,172
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = David Charles Prothero*
|votes = 1,077
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
|candidate = Margaret Eileen Evans
|votes = 856
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
|candidate = Peter Buckley Jones
|votes = 724
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|swing =
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{{Election box hold with party link|
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|swing =
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{{Election box end}}
Labour again held both seats in 2004.
{{Election box begin | title= Bigyn }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Sandra Melita Cooke*
|votes = 728
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = David Charles Prothero*
|votes = 631
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Plaid Cymru
|candidate = Michael Burns
|votes = 495
|percentage =
|change =
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{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Brian Davies
|votes = 410
|percentage =
|change =
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{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Lawrence Jenkins
|votes = 351
|percentage =
|change =
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{{Election box hold with party link|
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|swing =
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{{Election box hold with party link|
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|swing =
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{{Election box end}}
In 2008, Labour fared badly in the Llanelli area as a whole and lost both seats in Bigyn to Plaid Cymru.
{{Election box begin | title= Bigyn 2008 }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Plaid Cymru
|candidate = Michael Burns
|votes = 740
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Plaid Cymru
|candidate = Dyfrig Thomas
|votes = 729
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Sandra Melita Cooke*
|votes = 603
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = David Charles Prothero*
|votes = 476
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Brian Davies
|votes = 230
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Peter William Dunkley
|votes = 210
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Lawrence Jenkins
|votes = 202
|percentage =
|change =
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{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Dai Rees
|votes = 84
|percentage =
|change =
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{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Plaid Cymru
|loser = Labour Party (UK)
|swing =
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Plaid Cymru
|loser = Labour Party (UK)
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
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.
{{Election box begin | title= Bigyn 2012 }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Eryl Morgan
|votes = 609
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Jeff Edmunds
|votes = 565
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Plaid Cymru
|candidate = Michael Burns*
|votes = 523
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Plaid Cymru
|candidate = Dyfrig Thomas*
|votes = 518
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Nigel Bevan
|votes = 401
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate minor party|
|party = People First
|candidate = Stephen Bowen
|votes = 287
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes =
|percentage = 33.3
|change =
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|loser = Plaid Cymru
|swing =
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|loser = Plaid Cymru
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin | title= Bigyn 2017 }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Jeff Edmunds
|votes = 610
|percentage = 20
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Labour Party (UK)
|candidate = Eryl Morgan
|votes = 575
|percentage = 19
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Terry Morris
|votes = 428
|percentage = 14
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Nigel Bevan
|votes = 414
|percentage = 13
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Plaid Cymru
|candidate = Michael Burns
|votes = 333
|percentage = 11
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Plaid Cymru
|candidate = Kathryn Lodge
|votes = 304
|percentage = 10
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Conservative Party (UK)
|candidate = Robert Thomas
|votes = 236
|percentage = 8
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Stephen Bowen
|votes = 181
|percentage = 6
|change =
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 3081
|percentage = 35.48
|change =
}}
{{Election box hold with party link||
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|swing =
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
|winner = Labour Party (UK)
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
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.
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
- {{cite web|title=Bigyn Ward: Electoral Division Profile |url=http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/wards/Bigyn_Ward.pdf |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211012818/http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/wards/Bigyn_Ward.pdf |archivedate=2014-12-11 }}