Powys Liberal Democrats Launch Local Election Campaign

Powys Liberal Democrats have officially launched their local election campaign in Llandrindod Wells, with the group promising to shake up Powys Council on the 5^th of May.

At the end of the last council, the Liberal Democrats were the second largest group, following a number of defections and internal difficulties from the Conservative Party over the school closure programme and council tax increases introduced by the Independent and Conservative Coalition.

The Liberal Democrats will be hoping to make gains at the expense of Conservative and Independent members of the Council that they accuse of mismanaging resources over the last 5 years. The party will be fielding its highest ever number of candidates at 42, the party is also fielding its highest ever number of female and young candidates.

The group has launched their ‘Plan for Powys’ which focuses on 6 key priorities:

1. Tackling the Housing Emergency
2. Tackling the Climate Emergency
3. Supporting Young people
4. Building Strong and Prosperous Communities
5. Supporting Vulnerable People
6. Running an Open and Democratic Council

Commenting Liberal Democrat Group Leader James Gibson-Watt said:

“We are going into this election with a commitment to shake up Powys Council. The current Independent & Conservative administration has mismanaged the council for five long years. Whether it’s the extortionate 30 per cent rise in council tax we have seen or the closure of rural schools that form the beating heart of many of our communities.

“With more candidates than Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Greens combined, we are the only group who can take control of the Council from the Conservatives.

“Our promises to Powys aim to make the council much more open and democratic and have a focus on getting the basics right. Across Powys roads are full of potholes, fly-tipping and litter is blighting our countryside and local services have been cut.

“Community politics has always been the greatest strength of the Liberal Democrats. We want to build strong and prosperous communities where young people don’t feel like they are forced to move away to build a life for themselves and we want Powys to be at the forefront of tackling climate change, including creating new green jobs to replace manufacturing jobs that have been lost over the last 30 years.

“A vote for a Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate in May is a vote for someone who is embedded in their community, who will be accessible and accountable and who will be a voice for all in their community. We have a real opportunity to give Powys the shakeup it needs this May and our candidates will be giving it their all to make sure this happens.”