# Burry Port (electoral ward)

Burry Port is an electoral ward, representing the community of Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, Wales.

## Profile

In 2014, the Burry Port electoral ward had an electorate of 3,387. The total population was 4,240, of whom 80.3% were born in Wales. 32.2% of the population were able to speak Welsh.

## Current Representation

The Burry Port Ward is a two-member ward for the purposes of Carmarthenshire County Council elections. It is currently represented by Labour Party councillors Jack James (first elected in 2012) and Amanda Fox (first elected in 2017).

## Recent history

The first election to the new unitary Carmarthenshire County Council took place in 1995. Burry Port had two seats, both of which were won by the Liberal Democrats. Keith Evans, the sitting member for the ward on Dyfed County Council, was elected alongside George West, a sitting member on Llanelli Borough Council.
Burry Port :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Liberal Democrats | Keith J. Evans+* | 1,014 | | |
| Liberal Democrats | George W. West* | 693 | | |
| Plaid Cymru | David Hywel Nolan | 501 | | |
| Labour | Lawrence Jenkins | 397 | | |
| Labour | Paul Malcolm Davies | 356 | | |
| Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
| Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
At the 1999, Labour gained both seats, having won one in a by-election.
Burry Port 1999 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | Patricia Ethel Mary Jones* | 1,217 |
| Labour | Peter Jewell | 1,060 |
| Liberal Democrats | Pamela Georgina Every | 589 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |
Labour lost one of the seats to an Independent in 2004.
Burry Port :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | Patricia Ethel Mary Jones* | 850 |
| Independent | Stephen Randall James | 754 |
| Labour | Hugh Shepardson | 710 |
| Plaid Cymru | Joanna Davies | 301 |
| Plaid Cymru | Alexander Anderson | 226 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing |
In 2008, the situation remained unchanged.
Burry Port 2008 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Independent | Stephen Randall James* | 931 |
| Labour | Patricia Ethel Mary Jones* | 854 |
| Plaid Cymru | John Jack James | 623 |
| Labour | Andrew Phillips | 298 |
| Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
In 2012, Labour, regained the second seat. Pat Jones, a member of the authority since 1999, was re-elected alongside another Labour candidate who narrowly ousted the sitting Independent member, who had served since 2004. The Conservative candidate had stood as a Liberal Democrat in 1999.
Burry Port 2012 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Patricia Ethel Mary Jones* | 741 | |
| | Labour | Jack James | 634 | |
| | Independent | Stephen Randall James* | 622 | |
| | Plaid Cymru | Gaynor Davies | 388 | |
| | Conservative | Pam Every | 239 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 44.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
| | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Swing | |

## Earlier History
### County Council Elections

Burry Port first became an electoral ward in the early twentieth century, having initially been part of the Pembrey ward at the formation of Carmarthenshire County Council. In due course two wards were created at Ammanford for county council electionsand these continued to exist until Carmarthenshire was abolished in 1974.
With the formation of Dyfed County Council, Ammanford continued to elect two councillors until the wards were merged in 1989.
When the current Carmarthenshire County Council was formed in 1995, a Burry Port ward based on the community of that name was created.

### District Council Elections

From 1987, Burry Port formed an electoral ward for the purposes of elections to Llanelli Borough Council. Burry Port returned three members.