Wrexham Council under no overall control after local election

However, both Labour and Plaid Cymru, who were in opposition during the last administration, made inroads, with the former gaining three seats and the latter four.

It takes their total number of councillors to 14 and nine respectively, with the Conservatives also winning nine seats, an increase of one, and the Liberal Democrats standing still on one.

It leaves question marks over who will rule Wrexham Council for the next five years following the election count held at the Glyndwr University sports hall in Wrexham today (Friday, 6 May).

Power previously lay with a coalition of two independent groups run by incumbent council leader Mark Pritchard and deputy leader David A Bithell, alongside the Conservatives.

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But before polling day on Thursday there were rumours of friction between the two independent groups, meaning a new alliance could be in the offing.

Cllr Pritchard, who was re-elected in Esclusham after his seat was uncontested, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service talks would be held over the next few days over the future composition of the council.

Meanwhile, Labour group leader Dana Davies, who faced a scare in Ruabon after winning by just four votes, also said she would be open to discussions with other groups.

Several changes were made to ward boundaries in the area ahead of the election following a review by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission.

It saw the overall number of councillors in Wrexham increase from 52 to 56 and the number of wards from 47 to 49.

One of the shocks of the day saw Liberal Democrat Alun Jenkins lose his seat in Offa by just six votes after holding it for more than 50 years.

Alun Jenkins

He was defeated by Plaid Cymru’s Katie Wilkinson who gained 212 votes compared to his 206.

Independent executive board members Sonia Benbow-Jones, lead member for children’s services and David Griffiths, lead member for housing, were also beaten.

Mr Griffiths, who has been a councillor for the last 23 years, was defeated by 37 votes by independent Tina Mannering.

Before the boundary changes, the two had represented different wards in Gwersyllt.

Ms Benbow-Jones lost by just six votes in Cefn West to Labour’s Stella Matthews, who is the mother of Labour leader Dana Davies.

Results:
One seat per ward unless stated:

Acrefair North
Paul Blackwell – Labour – 217*
Amanda Bradley – Independent – 180

Acton and Maesydre (two seats)
Anna Justyna Buckley – Conservative – 222
Bobbi Cockroft – Plaid Cymru – 418
Corin Jarvis – Lab – 460*
Becca Martin – Plaid Cymru – 667*
Tim Ryan – Ind – 395
Peter David Sanham – Green Party – 59

Bangor-is-y-coed
Graham Bannister-Kelly – Green – 65
Tim Sly – Lib Dem – 254
Robert Ian Williams – Con – 365*

Borras Park
Debbie Wallice – Con*
Seat not contested

Bronington and Hanmer
Ben Martin – Ind – 335
Jeremy Alexander Newton – Con – 363*

Brymbo (two seats)
Gary Brown – Lab – 512*
Gavin Elgan Hughes – Ind – 403
Paul Rogers – Ind – 682*

Bryn Cefn
James Holland – Plaid – 101
Jackie Owen – Lab – 260
Beverley Parry-Jones – Con – 373*

Brynyffynon
Peter Derrick – Plaid – 143
Barbara Lloyd – Lab – 214
Phil Wynn – Ind – 280*

Cartrefle
Ronnie Prince – Ind*
Seat not contested

Cefn East
David Metcalfe – Ind – 38
David Taylor – Ind – 164
George Wood – Ind – 22
Derek Wright – Lab – 235*

Cefn West
Sonia Tyger Benbow-Jones – Ind – 263
Stella Matthews – Lab – 269*
Victoria Matthews – Ind – 114

Chirk North
Gareth Baines – Ind – 290
Frank Hemmings – Lab – 434*

Chirk South
Terry Evans – Ind*
Seat not contested

Coedpoeth (two seats)
Ben Brown – Ind – 362
Krista Childs – Lab- 730*
Michael James Dixon – Ind – 173
Graham Kelly – Lib Dem – 205
Gareth Leslie Owens – Con – 174
Anthony Wedlake – Lab – 507*

Dyffryn Ceiriog
Trevor Raymond Bates – Ind*
Seat not contested

Erddig
Iolanda Banu Viegas – Plaid – 82
Alex Jones – Ind – 164
David Richard Jones – Lib Dem – 90
John Ramm – Lab – 174
Paul Anthony Roberts – Con – 322*

Esclusham
Mark Pritchard – Ind*
Seat not contested

Garden Village
Andy Williams – Ind*
Seat not contested

Gresford East and West
Jeremy Richard Kent – Con – 700*
Aimi Waters – Plaid – 351

Grosvenor
Ray Floyd – Lab – 157
Marc Jones – Plaid – 382*
Patricia Sikora-Maciejewska – Con – 64

Gwenfro
Katie Brisco – Plaid – 42
Andrew Humphreys – Not stated – 72
Nigel Williams – Ind – 374*

Gwersyllt East
David John Griffiths – Ind – 400
Tina Mannering – Ind – 437*

Gwersyllt North
Emma Holland – Plaid – 411*
Luke Steven Howells – Con – 99

Gwersyllt South
Peter Howell – Plaid – 228*
Bernie McCann – Ind – 177
Colin Powell – Lab – 133

Gwersyllt West
Aled Canter – Lab – 189
Annette Davies – Plaid – 250*
Wendy Margaret O’Grady – Con – 66
Barrie Warburton – Ind – 203

Hermitage
Lauren Louise McKenry – Con – 65
Graham Rogers – Lab – 485*

Holt
Michael Gordon Morris – Con*
Seat not contested

Little Acton
Bill Baldwin – Ind – 234*
Christina Bate – Lab – 227
Martin Bennett – Con – 208
Charles William Henry Dodman – Reform UK – 12
Andrew Moss – Plaid – 132

Llangollen Rural
Rachel Allen – Plaid – 152
Rondo Roberts – Ind – 650*

Llay (two seats)
Bryan Apsley – Labour – 775*
Lyndon Bruce Vickery – Con – 131
Rob Walsh – Ind – 1,168*

Marchwiel
William Robert Martin – Con – 129
John Pritchard – Ind – 390*
Vicky Woodhouse – Plaid – 153

Marford and Hoseley
Beryl Blackmore – Lib Dem – 481*
James Robert Hobbley – Con – 373

Minera
Jeanie Barton – Ind – 97
Melys Elisabeth Edwards – Plaid – 123
Ricki McNeil – Ind – 293
Jerry Wellens – Lab – 304*

New Broughton
Natasha Borton – Plaid – 115
Ben Connor – Lab – 140
Gerald Davies – Ind – 83
Claire Lovett – Ind – 246*
Luke Meyers – Lib Dem – 39

Offa
Alan Butterworth – Green – 26
Alun Jenkins – Lib Dem – 206
Andrew Steven Ranger – Lab – 174
Steven Paul Vale – Con – 80
Katie Wilkinson – Plaid – 212*

Overton and Maelor South
Paul Ashton – Ind – 316
Virginia Carter – Green – 86
John Bernard McCusker – Ind – 557*

Pant and Johnstown (two seats)
David A Bithell – Ind – 780*
Geoff Foy – Ind – 128
Ethan Jones – Lab – 459
Steve Joe Jones – Ind – 902*
David Maddocks – Not stated – 765

Penycae
Matt Birnie – Lab – 40
John Conrad Phillips – Ind – 579*
Stephen James Rooney – Con – 7

Penycae and Ruabon South
Chris Jones – Plaid – 250
Jim Roberts – La – 248
Alison Tynan – Ind – 303*

Ponciau
Kevin Hughes – Lab – 247
Paul Pemberton – Ind – 478*

Queensway
Siôn Edwards – Lab – 82
Carrie Harper – Plaid – 279*
Joseph Richard Wojcik-Jones – Con – 12

Rhos
Will Peters – Lab – 189
Andrew Patrick Roberts – Con – 40
Fred Roberts – Ind – 231*
Paul Williams – Ind – 150

Rhosnesni (two seats)
Catherine Brown – Con – 307
Mike Davies – Ind – 883*
Roger Davies – Lib Dem – 171
Andy Gallanders – Plaid – 468*

Rossett (two seats)
Hugh Jones – Con – 693*
Glenda Averil Kelly – Lib Dem – 435
Ross Edward Shepherd – Con – 596*

Ruabon
Dana Davies – Lab – 249*
Charles Devlin – Ind – 245
Sharon Mazzarella – Not stated – 143
Peter James Molloy – Con – 52
Rebecca Wide – Plaid – 85

Smithfield
Richard Bennett – Ind – 70
Geoffrey Charles Sutton – Con – 38
Patricia Maura Williams – Lab – 153
Paul Williams – Plaid – 184*

Stansty
David Bithell – Ind*
Seat not contested

Whitegate
Brian Paterson Cameron – Lab – 312*
Kath Grives – Plaid – 144
Brian Wright – Con – 54

Wynnstay
Cameron Hughes – Plaid – 56
Malcolm Christopher King – Lab – 195*
Colin Alan Ridgway – Ind – 110
Merril Anna Maria Wolfson – Con –  15