Catherine Griffiths who lives on The Uplands estate with her husband and children becomes the sixth Labour member of Brecon Town Council. Catherine has previously served as a governor of a Brecon primary school and she is the current Treasurer of the Crug Tenants and Residents Association.

Speaking after the count, Catherine Griffiths said; “I am delighted to have won the seat in my home ward of St John West. I know that from campaigning across the community, local people feel extremely dissatisfied with the way the Lib Dems are running the County Council and the destructive policies their party in Westminster are forcing on our area.

“I will work hard for our community and stand up for local people in the council chamber. I would like to thank everyone who came out to vote in this election and I am looking forward to getting started on the job.”

St John West Councillor Matthew Dorrance added; “I am looking forward to working with Catherine. She has been a great campaigner for the area and she joins a hardworking team in the ward where along with Robin Lewis, David Meredith and I, we will work hard for local people.”

David Meredith who represents the St John Ward, Brecon will now sit with the Labour group in Powys.

Speaking about his decision to join Labour, David said: “Like the Labour members of Powys County Council, I opposed the scandalous 40% increase in cabinet salaries the Independents and the Lib Dems gave themselves. It was one the reasons that led me to leave the Independent Party and join Labour in Powys. I will be working with local Labour activists and County Councillors to hold the current Administration in Powys to account.”

Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Hain MP said: “It is great to welcome Councillor David Meredith to Labour. He will be a great asset to our team in Brecon and Powys. We know that across Wales people have come to realise that it is Labour that is providing the alternative to the destructive policies of the Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition. The UK Government are making cuts which are hurting but they are not working for Wales.

“The people of Brecon, Powys and Wales can see there is an alternative. For example, this week the Welsh Labour Government launched the Welsh Jobs Fund – Jobs Growth Wales – to provide our young people with the opportunity for skills and employment. Labour taking action for economic renewal and jobs in Wales.

“I hope more people will soon make the same decision as David and join Labour.”

The Labour group have opposed the decision to cull streetlights across the county since the plan was first floated, and have been active campaigners across the local authority, working with town council colleagues and party activists, collecting signatures for petitions and speaking to local residents about their concerns.

The Labour group, led by Councillor Sandra Davies, is a strong supporter of renewable energy as an alternative to the drastic measures on offer from Powys and would support a further consultation on the issue.

Councillor Sandra Davies said:
“There is a large and ageing population in the area and they will be petrified to go out.

“Parents are concerned about their children going to school in the dark and are likely to take them by car instead, undoing all the good work which has been done to get children healthy and reduce the carbon footprints.

“I feel very strongly that this will have a detrimental effect on our communities and I feel it is wrong to present this under the guise of efficiency when there are many other methods of efficiency savings without endangering people’s safety or curtailing lifestyles. We would support further work in considering alternative energy saving efficiencies and in the interim all our street lights should remain on.”