Brecon East
| St Mary | |
|---|---|
| Electoral ward | |
  St Mary Location within Powys | |
| Population | 3,111 (2011 census) |
| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRECON |
| Dialling code | 01874 |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
| Councillors | 1 (County) 5 (Town Council) |
St Mary is the name of an electoral ward in the town of Brecon, Powys, Wales. It covers the town centre and elects councillors to Brecon Town Council and Powys County Council.
Description
The St Mary ward covers the town centre of Brecon, the residential areas stretching east to the junction with the A470 and the rural area around Slwch Farm. The southern border is defined by the River Usk. The Brecon wards of St John and St David Within lie to the west, Felin-fach to the north and Talybont-on-Usk to the southwest.[1]
Since the 1999 elections the ward has elected one county councillor to Powys County Council[2] (prior to this it had elected two county councillors).[3] It is also a community ward, represented by up to five town councillors on Brecon Town Council.[4]
According to the 2011 UK Census the population of the ward was 3,111.[5]
In 2018 a Review of Electoral Arrangements proposed that all three Brecon county wards be merged into a single, three councillor ward. If accepted, the proposal would take effect from the 2022 election.[6]
County Council elections
At the May 2017 Powys County Council elections the St Mary ward was won from the Liberal Democrats by Sarah Lewis of the Conservatives. Previous councillor Paul Ashton had chosen not to re-stand.[7] However Cllr Lewis resigned in October 2019, in the resulting by-election the seat was won by Labour Party candidate Liz Rijnenberg.[8]
Cllr Ashton had represented the ward since a by-election in 2003.[9] He subsequently retained his seat unopposed at the 2004 election and won the contests in 2008 and 2012.[3] He became Chair of the county council in 2015.[9]
Prior to 2003 the ward had been represented by Independents.[3]
References
- ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ "The County of Powys (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
- ^ a b c "Powys County Council Election Results 1995-2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
- ^ "Council Information". Brecon Town Council. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – St. Mary Ward (as of 2011) (1237327691)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ "Review of Electoral Arrangements – Draft Proposals - County of Powys" (PDF). Powys County Council. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ "Powys council election – the counting continues". The Brecon & Radnor Express. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ "Labour wins by-election in Brecon and Radnorshire". The Brecon & Radnor Express. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ a b "New chairman appointed for Powys County Council". FYI:Brecon. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
