STAY-away voters are being criticised by councillors after a by-election saw the lowest turnout in Mon-mouthshire for 20 years.

Just 11.6 per cent bothered to vote in the Thornwell by-election for Chepstow Town Council. Labour's Armand Watts won the seat with 146 votes compared to Conser-vative candidate Henry Ashby's 115.

A spokesman for the Monmouth-shire county council electoral office said: "This is certainly the lowest turnout for an election of any kind in Monmouthshire since 1983."

Yvonne Havard, chairman of Chepstow town council, said: "I think this low turnout is partly explained by the extreme weather.

"I regret that so few voted because it is important that people engage in the democratic process. I hope figures improve for future elections." Elections in Chepstow have traditionally attracted high turnouts.

When the Thornwell seat was last contested, in 1999, it attracted more than 40 per cent of eligible voters and 39 per cent cast a vote in July's contest for the Larkfield seat on Chepstow town council and 72 per cent voted in Mon-mouthshire at the last general election.

But some Gwent politicians say there is no quick solution to get voters back to the ballot boxes.

Monmouthshire AM David Davies said: "There is no, one straightforward reason for turn- outs getting lower and lower. On a general point - and I'm not talking about Thornwell because I know at least two of the candidates worked very hard - candidates need to get out on the doorsteps and find out what people want. If you get to know your voters and work hard to champion their causes then they should turn out for you."

Blaenau Gwent MP Llew Smith said: "If they can find technical ways of making voting easier then fair enough, but that is not the real problem.

What gets voters to the polls is governments, parliaments and assemblies that enthuse people with a radical agenda that is relevant to their lives and changes things for them."

Rosemary Butler, Newport West's AM, said: "All parties are concerned that many people feel that politics is not for them. The challenge facing everybody, not just politicians, is to connect the issues with the politics and engage with people. Compulsory voting seems to work in Australia, but I would be happier persuading people to take part voluntarily."