THE Conservatives have taken the final seat on Powys County Council following a by-election victory.

Only 72 of the 73 council seats were filled at the May council elections as no candidate had come forward to stand in the Yscir ward near Brecon. However the by-election held on Thursday, June 22 attracted six candidates for the seat “no-one wanted to represent”.

Conservative Iain McIntosh won the election with 165 votes and will boost the number of Tories on the council to 20. The party controls the authority as junior partners to the 30-strong Independent Group.

The victory was consolation for Mr McIntosh, who in May stood against sitting Labour candidate Matthew Dorrance in the neighbouring Brecon St John ward, and was defeated by 700 votes.

However the businessman, who runs his own carpet and flooring business in Brecon, said he thought his earlier attempt to win a council seat was to his advantage.

“I stood against Matthew Dorrance in May so I was one of the only candidates who couldn’t have stood in May,” he said.

“A lot of people asked me why I hadn’t stood in May so I told them, not that there would have been any point hiding it.”

Though the Conservatives now hold power at County Hall, the winning candidate didn’t feel that proved decisive in the contest between himself, three independents and candidates from Plaid Cymru and Greens

“I knocked on every door in the area and probably spoke to about 60% of the residents and I don’t think that many were aware of who controls the council, they were more interested in talking about what needs to be done.

“The previous councillor Gillian Thomas had a good reputation and I’m keen to try and carry on with that. I think a lot of people know me from my work and what sort of person I am.

“Only a few people talked about main party politics. When I stood in the St John ward people did ask me about the bedroom tax, but people realise it is not something the council can deal with.

“In the Yscir ward I’ve been asked more about the things I can deal with, issues such as the pot holes in the road and recycling.”

The newly elected councillor said he was also disappointed some rivals had said they were disappointed a candidate from outside the ward won.

He said: “I only live probably 50 to 60 yards from Gillian Thomas and she did OK living outside the ward – and the entrance to the Beacons Park estate is only 800 metres from the ward.”

Independent candidate Chris Davies came second with 144 votes while Plaid’s Kate Heneghan, who’d also stood for the party in June’s general election in the Brecon and Radnorshire seat, gained 101 votes.

Plaid has two councillors, both from Montgomeryshire, and sit in a group with the council’s only Green member Emily Durrant from Llangors.

The Greens also stood a candidate in Yscir, Bethan Irwin, who won 80 votes.

Former Conservative councillor Steve Davies, who lost his Bronllys seat at the May elections, stood as an independent but gained just two votes – thought to be one of the lowest ever totals in a Powys County Council election.