Senedd Election 2021: Latest
Latest news from the socially-distanced counting
Last updated 8th May 2021
With the polling stations for the 2021 Senedd Election closed last night, today will see a flurry of activity across Wales as the counting process gets underway
While elections are usually all night affairs with the winners often known long before the crack of dawn, the verification and counting of votes have been delayed until this morning due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Its likely to be early evening – or possibly even tomorrow – until the full makeup of the sixth Senedd session is known.
Historic election
Its been a historic election - the first time we voted for Members of the "Senedd"and the first time our 16 and 17 year-olds could vote.
Laura McAllister is Professor of Policy and the Governance of Wales at Cardiff University - and part of the team that recommended extending votes for the under 18s. She said the low turn out in the Under 18s was disappointing but not unexpected:
"When we made the recommendation for votes at 16 through my expert panel, we talked about aligning that decision with a programme of effective political education and citizenship education which would give young people the confidence to feel they were able to assess parties and manifestos in a stronger way. But of course Covid has put paid to all of those hopes."
Long queues
Long queues were reported across Welsh polling stations as social distancing took its toll on the polls.
Kat Keighley, a Trainee Journalist from Swansea was one of those who waited patiently to cast her vote:
"Like many people yesterday, I queued for forty minutes outside my local polling station. The delays were likely because of the Covid one in one out system, and because people had to make more voting decisions than they usually would.
"The polls closed at ten pm last night. But the counting has been delayed due to the virus, with results not due in until this afternoon."
The constituency counts
Local authorities are responsible for organising their own counts, usually led by the council’s Chief Executive doubling up as the county’s Acting Returning Officer.
As is the case for a Westminster General Election, 40 members of the Senedd will be elected in a first past the post method to represent each of these individual constituencies.
How long this takes can depend on how close the result is and the size of the electorate, as well as the number of candidates standing, but results should start to trickle in by mid afternoon.
The ‘top up’ seats
The remaining 20 members are elected on a proportional representation across five separate electoral regions roughly split on population, namely: North Wales, Mid and West Wales, South Wales West, South Wales Central and South Wales East.
These Members of the Senedd can only be elected once all of the constituency seats have been officially decided and declared.
That is due to the calculation that allocates seats to the individual parties being reliant on how many seats every party has already won in each area.
As a result its likely that these candidates will face a relatively long wait with results not expected until Friday evening.
Results for Constituencies:
Aberavon: HOLD - David Rees
Lab 10,505 / Plaid 4,760 / Con 2,947 / Ind 1,357 / Lib Dem 953 / Abolish 646 / UKIP 407 /Gwlad 386 / REF 208
Aberconwy: Conservative - Hold - Janet Finch-Saunders
Con 9,815 / Lab 5,971 / Plaid 6,479 / Lib Dem 735 / Ref 320 / No More Lockdowns 223
Alyn & Deeside: Labour - HOLD - Jack Sargeant
Lab 12,622 / Con 8,244 / Plaid 1,886 / Lib Dem 1,584 / UKIP 898 / Reform 401 / Freedom 208
Arfon: Plaid Cymru - HOLD - Sian Gwenllian
Plaid 13,760 / Lab 5,108 / Con 1,806 / Lib Dems 642 / Ref 350 / Ind 82
Blaenau Gwent: HOLD - Alun Davies
Lab 10,226 / Plaid 3,588 / CON 2,611 / IND 2,376 / ABOLISH 1,364 / LIB DEM 333 / REFORM 319
Brecon & Radnorshire: Conservative - GAIN - James Evans
Con 12,741 / Lib Dem 8,921 / Lab 4,980 / Plaid 2,075 / Green 1,556 / Abolish 1,209 / Ind 345 / Reform 213 / Gwlad 75
Bridgend: Labour Hold - Sarah Murphy
Labour 12,388 / Con 8324 / Plaid Cymru 3091 / Ind 1064 / Lib Dem 782
Caerphilly: Labour - HOLD - Hefin David
Lab 13,289 / Plaid 8,211 / Con 5,013 / Abolish 1,119 / Lib Dem 787 / Reform 495
Cardiff Central: Labour - HOLD - Jenny Rathbone
Lab 13,100 / Lib Dem 5,460 / Con 3,788 / Plaid 3,470 / Green 1,552 / Abolish 440 / Propel 268 / Freedom 156 / Reform 151 / Socialist 82 / Gwlad 65
Cardiff North: Labour - HOLD - Julie Morgan
LAB 19,348 / CON 12,755 / PLAID 3,278 / GREEN 1,957 / LIB DEM 1,641 / ABOLISH 919 / PROPEL 336 / REFORM 200 / FREEDOM 150
Cardiff South & Penarth: Labour - HOLD - Vaughan Gething
LAB 18,153 / CON 7,547 / PLAID 4,957 / LIB DEM 1,402 / GREEN 1,643 / ABOLISH 732 / UKIP 576 / PROPEL 552 / REFORM 295 / FREEDOM 273 / IND 135 / GWLAD 121
Cardiff West: Labour - HOLD - Mark Drakeford
LAB 17,665 / CON 6,454 / PLAID 5,897 / PROPEL 3,473 / GREEN 1,287 / LIB DEM 803 / ABOLISH 682 / REFORM 175
Carmarthen East & Dinefwr: Conservatives - HOLD - Samuel Kurtz
CON 11,240 / LABOUR 10,304 / PLAID 6,615 / LIB DEM 1,224 / UKIP 982 / IND 866 / REF 424
Carmarthen West & Pembrokeshire South: Conservatives - HOLD - Samuel Kurtz
Con 11240 / Labour 10304/ Plaid Cymru 6615 / Lib Dem 1224 / UKIP 982 / Ind 866/ REF 424
Ceredigion: Plaid Cymru - Hold - Elin Jones
PLAID 16,946 / CON 4,801 / LABOUR 3,345 / LIB DEM 3,227 / GREEN 1,356 / REF 775 / FREEDOM 305
Clwyd South: Labour hold - Ken Skates
Lab 10448 / Con 7535 / Lib Dems 730 / Plaid 4094/ Abolish 599/ Reform 277 / UKIP 522
Clwyd West: Conservatives hold - Darren Millar
Con 11,839/ Labour 8,154 votes/ Plaid 5,609 / Lib Dems 1,158 / Abolish 502 / UKIP 520 / Reform 304 / Welsh Ind 277
Cynon Valley: Labour - HOLD - Vikki Howells
LAB 11,427 / PLAID 3,959 / CON 2,795 / PROPEL 713 / ABOLISH 648 / REFORM 356 / LIB DEM 335 / IND 278
Delyn: Labour hold - Hannah Blythyn
Lab 12,846 / Con 9,135 / Lib Dem 1,094 / Plaid 2,097 / UKIP 862 / Reform UK 297 / Gwlad 112
Dwyfor Meirionnydd: Plaid Cymru gain Mabon ap Gwynfor
Plaid 11,490 / Con 4,394 / Lab 3,702 / Propel 1,314 / Llais Gwynedd 1,136 / Lib Dem 916 / Ref 710 / FA 152
Gower: Labour hold - Rebecca Evans
Lab 15631 / Con 10836 / Lib Dem 869 / Plaid 3946 / Reform 547 / Green 1088 / Gwlad 247
Islwyn: Labour - HOLD - Rhianon Passmore
Lab 9,962 / Ind 4,723 / Plaid 3,930 / Con 3,894 / Abolish 568 / UKIP 507 / Lib Dem 476 / Reform 421
Llanelli: Labour - HOLD - Lee Waters
LAB 13,930 / PLAID 8,255 / CON 4,947 / UKIP 722 / REFORM 672 / LIB DEM 606 / GWLAD 544 / IND 542
Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney: Labour hold - Dawn Bowden
Lab 13,009 / Plaid 3,698 / Con 2,665 / Abolish 656 / Lib Dem 420 / UKIP 382 / Reform 324
Monmouth: Conservatives hold - Peter Fox
Con 15332 / Lab 11487 / Lib Dem 1892 / Plaid 2085 / Green 2000 / Reform 349 / Abolish 1174 / FA 181 / Gwlad 90 / Ind 1293
Montgomeryshire: Conservatives hold - Russell George
Con 12,013 / Plaid 4,485 / Lib Dem 4,307 / Lab 3,576 / Reform UK 549 / Gwlad 157
Neath: Labour hold - Jeremy Miles
Lab 11,666 / Plaid Cymru 6,445 / Con 4,107 / Green 1,038 / Ind 2,418 / Abolish 751 / Propel 443 / Lib Dem 395 / Reform 315
Newport East: Labour hold : John Griffiths
Lab 10,899 / Con 7,315 / Plaid 1,844 / Lib Dem 1,574 / UKIP 368 / Reform 328 / Abolish 660 / FA 161
Newport West: Labour - HOLD - Jane Bryant
LAB 14,259 / CONS 10,353 / PLAID 2,076 / GREENS 1,314 / LIB DEM 882 / REFORM 486 / FREEDOM 228
Ogmore: Labour - HOLD - Huw Irranca-Davies
Lab 12,868 / Plaid Cymru 4,703 / Con 4,579 / Abolish 660 / Propel 625 / Reform 618 / Lib Dem 441
Pontypridd: Labour - HOLD - Mick Antoniw
LAB 11,511 / PLAID 6,183 / CON 5,658 / IND 1,678 / ABOLISH 785 / GREEN 655 / LIB DEM 628 / REFORM 458
Preseli Pembrokeshire: Conservative - hold - Paul Davies
Con 12,295 / Lab 10,895 / Plaid 6,135 / Reform 1,239 / Lib Dem 952
Rhondda: Labour - GAIN - Elizabeth Williams
LAB 12,832 / PLAID 7,335 / CON 1,490 / PROPEL 525 / ABOLISH 430 / REFORM 355 / FREEDOM 291 / LIB DEM 200
Swansea East: Labour -HOLD - Mike Hedges
Lab 12950 / Con 2947 / Lib Dems 1055 / Plaid 3250 / Reform 295 / Abolish 484 / UKIP 567
Swansea West: Labour - HOLD - Julie James
Lab 11,126 / Con 4,605 / Plaid Cymru 3,910 / Lib Dem 1,645 / Green 1,109 / Abolish 866 / Freedom 295 / Reform 250 / Propel 189
Torfaen: Labour - HOLD - Lynne Neagle
LAB 11,572 / CON 6,251 / PLAID 2,564 / LIB DEM 1,180 / UKIP 895 / REFORM 730 / FREEDOM 522 / GWLAD 239
Vale of Clwyd: Conservatives - Gareth Davies
Con 10,792 / Lab 10,426 / Plaid 2,972 / Lib Dems 782 / Reform 552 / Ind 529
Vale of Glamorgan: Labour - HOLD - Jane Hutt
LAB 18,667 / CONS 15,397 / PLAID 3,699 / ABOLISH 1,394 / GREEN 1,262 / LIB DEMS 994 PROPEL 426 / REFORM 416 / IND 237 / GWLAD 226
Wrexham: Labour - HOLD - Lesley Griffiths
Lab 8,452 / Con 7,102 / Plaid 4,832 / Abolish 790 / Lib Dem 755 / UKIP 378 / Reform 187 / Gwlad 110
Ynys Mon: Plaid Cymru - HOLD - Rhun ap Iorwerth
Plaid 15,506 / Con 5,689 / Lab 5,300 / Reform 692 / Lib Dem 547
Results for Regions:
North Wales:
CON - Mark Isherwood
CON - Sam Rowlands
PLAID - Llyr Gruffydd
LAB - Carolyn Thomas
Mid and West Wales:
LAB - Eluned Morgan
LAB - Joyce Watson
PLAID - Cefin Campbell
LIB DEM - Jane Dodds
South Wales West: CON - Thomas Gifford
CON - Altaf Hussein
PLAID - Sioned Williams
PLAID - Luke Fletcher
South Wales Central: due to be announced today
South Wales East: due to be announced today
Other elections
In some parts of Wales, however, there will be a further count if there are any elections for county or community by-elections.
Such is the case on Anglesey, where voters in the Seiriol and Caergybi wards were faced with four ballot papers, and the Gwernymynydd ward in Flintshire.
There will be a longer wait for the results of the various Police and Crime Commissioner Elections across Wales, however, with counting not set to take place until Sunday (May 9).