'A very bad day for Labour'

9:48am Wednesday 14th May 2008

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Kevin Madge, Labour's new leader on Carmarthenshire Council, insists the party has received the electorate's message "loud and clear" following the party's disastrous local election results.

Speaking at his appointment as deputy council leader, Cllr Madge admitted May 1 had been "a very bad day" for the Labour party.

"Over the next four years, I am determined to make sure that we are out there listening to the people of this county and working with them day in, day out, to meet their growing aspirations for their families and our communities," he said "I want us to continue to deliver the goods for Carmarthenshire, in stark contrast to a Plaid Cymru group, which offers no solutions to the problems we face.

"Carmarthenshire is a great place to live. Our challenge now is to make it an even greater place for people of all ages and from all our communities."

Cllr Madge described it as "a great honour" to be elected leader of the authority's Labour Group.

"I am relishing the opportunities and challenges ahead as we set about the work of delivering safer, cleaner communities and good value local services for all the people of our county," he said.

"But I also want to pay a warm tribute to the years of hard work, dedication and commitment put in by my predecessor Martin Morris and those Labour councillors who lost their seats in Carmarthenshire last week.

"Their absence will be felt deeply in our council."