Yscir (electoral ward)

Yscir is the name of an electoral ward in southern Powys, Wales. It covers three local government communities and elects a councillor to Powys County Council.

Yscir ward
Electoral ward

Location of Yscir ward in Powys
Population1,038 (2011 census)
Principal area
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Councillors1 (County)

Description

The Yscir ward covers the sparsely populated communities of Merthyr Cynog, Trallong and Yscir, including the valleys of the Nant Brân and Afon Ysgir. The River Usk partly borders the ward to the south.[1] The Llanwrtyd Wells ward borders to the north, Maescar/Llywel to the west and Talybont-on-Usk to the south. The town of Brecon borders the southeast corner of the ward.

According to the 2011 UK Census the population of the ward was 1,038.[2]

In early 2018 county councillor Iain McIntosh visited every house in the ward to sign a petition demanding high speed broadband. Yscir had some of the poorest internet connectivity in Wales.[3]

County elections

Since the May 1995 local government election, it has been represented by one county councillor on Powys County Council. Councillor Dorothy Thomas, an Independent, represented the ward until 2017.[4] She retired before the May 2017 elections.

In May 2017 the ward made news by being the only ward in Wales not to hold an election, because no candidates had come forward for the vacant seat. This led to a second call for nominations and a by-election arranged to elect a new councillor.[5][6] Six candidates came forward and, on 22 June 2017, Conservative Party candidate Iain McIntosh won the contest.[7] McIntosh had stood unsuccessfully in Brecon's St John ward in May. Former Conservative, Steve Davies, stood as an Independent in the by-election and, with only 2 votes received possibly the lowest vote in any Powys Council election.[8]

References
  1. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  2. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Yscir Ward (as of 2011) (1237327699)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  3. "Councillor helps bring high-speed broadband to Yscir ward". The Brecon & Radnor Express. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  4. "Powys County Council Election Results 1995-2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  5. "No candidate for seat on Powys council". ITV News. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  6. Deans, David (2 May 2017). "Local elections: Yscir - where no-one wants to stand". BBC News. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  7. "Tory wins Yscir by-election where no-one stood at May poll". BBC News. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  8. "Final seat on council goes to Tories". The Brecon & Radnor Express. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

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