REFORM UK is fielding a candidate in a by-election called because of the poor attendance of one of its councillors.
The Two Locks by-election will fill the vacancy after David Thomas was automatically removed from Cwmbran Community Council, under local government legislation, after failing to attend meetings for six months.
Following his removal from the council he blamed his time being “increasingly stretched” for failing to fulfil his obligation to attend community council meetings.
It has now been confirmed five parties will contest the by-election after the deadline for candidates to come forward closed.
Plaid Cymru, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour are also contesting the election to the volunteer council.
Mr Thomas was elected as an independent candidate, at a by-election in September 2023, and hadn’t changed his status on the community council after forming a Reform group on Torfaen Borough Council, where he represents the Llantarnam ward, in August 2024.
Torfaen was one of 13 Welsh constituencies where the party achieved a second-place finish at that summer’s UK general election.
As well as being the party’s group leader on the borough council Mr Thomas is its regional director for Wales.
Since forming the group, with two other councillors who had been elected as independents in Llantarnam, the party added to its number with victory in a borough council by-election in early 2025 and it also has a presence on Pontypool Community Council following a defection by a Conservative member and a by-election victory.
Jason O’Connell, who is one of the three Reform councillors for Llantarnam in Cwmbran on Torfaen Borough Council, is tipped to be announced the party’s leader in Wales for May’s Senedd election after fronting its party political broadcast.
Cllr O’Connell would only say he was “flattered” by the speculation and said he hadn’t had any talks with the party about being leader but answered “I think so” when asked if he was “up to the task” during an appearance on the BBC Politics Wales Programme.
He defeated four political parties to win his seat as an independent at a February 2023 by-election when he said “local politics has no place for political parties”. During a previous spell on the borough council, from 2017 to 2022, he was for a short period a member of the Conservative group which he later described as a “mistake”.
The Cwmbran Community Council Two Locks by-election will take place on Thursday, February 26 with registered voters aged 16 and over entitled to vote with polling stations at Hollybush and Coed Eva Community Centre and the Bowls Pavilion, Cocker Avenue, St Dials, Cwmbran.
There are 19 seats on the council with 18 currently held by Labour.
The five candidates are:
- Daniel Bennett, Plaid Cymru
- Chase Blount, Welsh Conservatives
- Miles Andrew Cook, Welsh Liberal Democrats
- David Cornish, Welsh Labour
- Stephen Whitehorn, Reform UK.
The closing date to register to vote is midnight on Tuesday, February 10.