# 1999 Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council election

The second election to Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council following the re-organization of local government in Wales was held on 6 May 1999. It was preceded by the 1995 election and followed by the 2004 election. On the same day the first elections to the Welsh Assembly were held as well as elections to the other 21 local authorities in Wales.
Labour lost thirteen seats and their majority on the council.

## Overview

All council seats were up for election. These were the second elections held following local government reorganisation and the abolition of Mid Glamorgan County Council. The ward boundaries for the new authority were based on the previous Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council.
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council election result 1999 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Votes |
| Labour | 16 | 0 | 13 | -13 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 0 | | | | 781 |
| Plaid Cymru | 4 | 4 | 0 | +4 | |
| Green | 0 | | | | 189 |
| Independent | 13 | 9 | 0 | +9 | |

## Results
### Bedlinog (two seats)

Bedlinog 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Leighton Smart | 828 | | |
| | Labour | Helen Thomas* | 664 | | |
| | Labour | Ian Thomas | 392 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 56.2 | +14.7 |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Cyfarthfa (three seats)

Cyfarthfa 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Les Elliott* | 1,483 | | |
| | Independent | Len Goodwin | 1,140 | | |
| | Independent | Lynda Williams | 989 | | |
| | Labour | S. Paul Brown | 754 | | |
| | Labour | Alison. Chaplin | 679 | | |
| | Labour | Pamela. Watkins | 517 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 47.6 | +10.0 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Dowlais (four seats)

Pritchard had been elected as a Labour candidate in 1995.
Dowlais 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | H. Len Hargreaves | 947 | | |
| | Labour | Ray Thomas* | 878 | | |
| | Independent | John Pritchard* | 823 | | |
| | Independent | Phillip Owens | 822 | | |
| | Independent | Julian Amos | 806 | | |
| | Plaid Cymru | Alan Cowdell | 804 | | |
| | Labour | Tom Lewis* | 769 | | |
| | Labour | Mike Sullivan* | 727 | | |
| | Labour | Harry Harbord | 712 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 41.0 | +4.6 |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Gurnos (four seats)

Labour won all four seats in 1995 when Phillips had been elected as a Labour councilor for the Park ward.
Gurnos 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Dave Phillips* | 743 | | |
| | Labour | Bernard Driscoll* | 681 | | |
| | Labour | Allan Davies | 635 | | |
| | Labour | William Smith* | 619 | | |
| | Independent | John Mantle | 548 | | |
| | Labour | Dave Jarrett* | 531 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 35.8 | +6.8 |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |

### Merthyr Vale (two seats)

Merthyr Vale 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Jeff Edwards | 1,266 | | |
| | Labour | David Lewis* | 896 | | |
| | Labour | Enos Sims* | 672 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 72.0 | +11.1 |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Park (three seats)

Labour won all three seats in 1995 but one of the sitting members joined Plaid Cymru while another stood as an Independent candidate in the Gurnos ward.
Park 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Brendan Toomey | 783 | | |
| | Labour | J. Leon Stanfield* | 731 | | |
| | Labour | Louise Garcia | 652 | | |
| | Independent | Ann. Amos | 596 | | |
| | Plaid Cymru | Marion Morris | 592 | | |
| | Plaid Cymru | Elizabeth Tate* | 484 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Huw Eynon | 408 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 68.6 | +28.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Penydarren (three seats)

Penydarren 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | D. James | 1,117 | | |
| | Labour | P. Saunders* | 931 | | |
| | Labour | T. Mahoney* | 851 | | |
| | Labour | I. Jones | 752 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 50.3 | +10.2 |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Plymouth (three seats)

Plymouth 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | H. Jones* | 1,190 | | |
| | Labour | R. Clark | 1,024 | | |
| | Labour | D. Games* | 966 | | |
| | Plaid Cymru | H. Voyle | 935 | | |
| | Independent | A. Challis | 852 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 77.5 | +30.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Town (four seats)

Town 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Plaid Cymru | W. Thomas | 1,421 | | |
| | Plaid Cymru | V. Pugh | 1,183 | | |
| | Plaid Cymru | D. Griffiths | 1,101 | | |
| | Plaid Cymru | Ms S. Pengelly | 983 | | |
| | Labour | I. Clark* | 969 | | |
| | Labour | C. Jones* | 931 | | |
| | Labour | Ms L. Matthews* | 929 | | |
| | Labour | T. Davies* | 841 | | |
| | Independent | A. Green | 590 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 56.7 | +13.1 |
| | Plaid Cymru gain from Labour | Plaid Cymru gain from Labour | Swing | | |
| | Plaid Cymru gain from Labour | Plaid Cymru gain from Labour | Swing | | |
| | Plaid Cymru gain from Labour | Plaid Cymru gain from Labour | Swing | | |
| | Plaid Cymru gain from Labour | Plaid Cymru gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Treharris (four seats)

Galsworthy had been elected as an Independent in 1995.
Treharris 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | E. Galsworthy* | 889 | | |
| | Labour | Ms G. Evans* | 821 | | |
| | Independent | R. Whitehouse | 819 | | |
| | Labour | A. Jones* | 771 | | |
| | Independent | Ms M. Shankland | 664 | | |
| | Plaid Cymru | R. Hughes | 595 | | |
| | Independent | M. Moran | 407 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | C. Richards | 373 | | |
| | Independent | J. Gilbert | 301 | | |
| | Green | K. Williams | 189 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 59.3 | +20.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |

### Vaynor (two seats)

Vaynor 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | A. Baynham* | 1,050 | | |
| | Independent | M. Vaughan | 765 | | |
| | Labour | C. Owen | 318 | | |
| | Labour | G. Watkins | 257 | | |
| | Communist | R. Evans | 171 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 58.8 | +3.0 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |