THERE has been a mixed reaction to the news that an elected Llangadog councillor has crossed the floor to represent Plaid Cymru.

The party now represents half of all seats on Carmarthenshire Council County after Independent councillor for Llangadog Ward, Cllr Andrew James joined the Plaid Cymru Group.

Cllr James said his move followed a long period of consideration, but that the determination of the Plaid group to improve the fortunes of rural communities, as well as the warm nature of the Councillors had helped him make up his mind.

In last year’s County Council elections 48 per cent of the entire county of Carmarthenshire elected a Plaid Cymru representative, with the party filling 36 of the 74 council seats.

The move now sees Plaid Cymru with 37 councillors, Labour with 22 and a remaining 15 Independent or non-affiliated Councillors.

Cllr James said: “Having thought long and hard about it for some time, I believe the decision to join the Plaid Cymru group is the right one for me and the residents of Llangadog ward.

“I am joining a group that operates as a strong and positive team – from community councillors to the Assembly Member and Member of Parliament - Carmarthenshire has a team of dedicated representatives in Plaid who work hard and really want to achieve something for our communities.

“The determination of the Plaid group to improve the fortunes of rural communities in particular, as well as the warm nature of the Councillors helped me make up my mind.

“The New Year has brought a new start for me, and I look forward to working with my new colleagues to deliver for the residents of Llangadog ward.”

Adam Price AM and Jonathan Edwards MP extended a warm welcome to the new councillor. Their Carmarthen East and Dinefwr constituency now has 22 Plaid Cymru, 6 Independent and 2 Labour councillors.

Labour’s Deputy Leader councillor Rob James has responded to the news.

He said: “We have known for sometime that the Plaid leadership having been frantically attempting to persuade Independent councillors to cross to floor, so that they may go it alone.

“Llangadog has a long history in electing councillors who claim that they’ll be an independent voice for their area in County Hall, yet Cllr James’ actions since the election has demonstrated that he is unable to stand up for Llangadog.

“Carmarthenshire Council continue to ignore the wishes of residents and businesses living in the north of our county, by failing to provide adequate recycling facilities since the closure of the AWS recycling site in Llangadog.

‘Considering that Plaid have failed to win a council seat in Llangadog despite standing in every election since 2004, Cllr James should consider standing down and trigger a by-election, enabling the residents to decide if they want to be represented at the county level by Plaid.”