COUNCIL ELECTIONS: Newport hopefuls revealed

They are all hoping to be elected in the forthcoming local government elections in Newport.

See full list of Newport candidates

Goldie Lookin’ Chain front man Rhys Hutchings, 36, is standing as a Labour candidate in the St Julians ward.

He told the Argus last year he became interested in the role while supporting then city mayor Bill Langsford with his fundraising campaign.

Mr Hutchings, also known as Xain, shot to fame in 2003 as part of the tracksuitwearing, hip-hop band GLC whose hits including Your Missus is a Nutter and Guns Don’t Kill People Rappers Do won them an army of followers.

He said he hoped to appeal to all members of society, especially young people, to help get their voices heard.

Malpas Road undertakers Michael Ryan, 60, and his daughter Louise, 23, are hoping to represent the people of Shaftsbury as independents.

Mr Ryan, who stood for the Conservatives and lost by 13 votes at the last elections, said the pair would be happy to represent the ward side by side.

Son of Newport cabinet memberWilliam Routley, Lewis, will stand for the Conservative party in Lliswerry.

His father, who is hoping to be re-elected in the Stow Hill ward, said the pair were very similar, having both worked as doormen, and he was proud his son was following his aspirations to represent the people.

Former Pill councillor and Friends of St Anne’s Hospice Allt-Yr-Yn shop manager, Laura Buchanan- Smith, will stand in the ward as an independent, while former Tredegar Park councillor TrevorWatkins hopes to be re-elected for Labour.

The leader of the Green Party inWales, Pippa Bartolotti, will stand for the party in the Malpas ward.

She recently appeared on Channel 4 cooking programme Come Dine With Me.

The city’s Liberal Democrat leader Ed Townsend will lead the party’s campaign in Newport.

Candidates have until April 10 to withdraw.

EDITORIAL COMMENT: Please use that vital vote

TODAY is unlikely to mark the start of a long, relaxing Easter weekend for one group of people.

Candidates for next month’s local council elections will no doubt spend the bank holiday weekend knocking on doors, posting leaflets and doing whatever else they can to drum up support in advance of election day on May 3.

All candidates for the elections are now declared and the campaign for your votes next month is well under way.

As ever, your Argus will be reporting the local elections fairly and without political bias.

Next month the people of Newport, Torfaen, Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly have the chance to shape the future the communities served by this newspaper.

Some of you will already have decided which candidate or party you will be voting for; others will make a decision closer to polling day.

Many more, if the average Welsh turnout of about 44 per cent in the last local council elections in 2008 is anything to go by, will not vote at all.

If you are in the latter group, we would urge you to use your vote. It is not the role of this newspaper to promote any particular political party or to suggest you vote for any particular candidate.

But we do have a role to play in encouraging our readers to engage in the democratic process.

Votes for all are a hard-earned right for everyone in this country. The people of SouthWales, via the Chartist movement, fought for that right harder than many.

Some would argue that deciding not to vote is as much a political decision as entering the polling booth.

We would not disagree.

But if you simply cannot be bothered to vote and then find the party that wins this election has policies with which you fundamentally disagree, remember that you could have done something about it.

Many are turned off from voting because of the ‘Punch and Judy’ nature of politics.

We fully expect that some elements of campaigning during this election – from all of the main parties – will do little to enhance the reputation of politicians.

Voters do not want playground arguments in local politics – they want better and more efficient services in return for their council tax.

We hope that whoever wakes up on the morning of May 4 charged with running our local councils remembers that.