The Newport Independents Party (Welsh: Plaid Annibynwyr Casnewydd) is a small political party formed in 2017 to campaign in the city of Newport, Wales. The party won three council seats on Newport City Council in May 2022.
Newport Independents Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Kevin Whitehead |
| Nominating officer | Jason Alan Jordan |
| Treasurer | Diane Josephine Jordan |
| Campaigns officer | Kevin Whitehead |
| Additional officer | Andrew Collingbourne |
| Founded | 16 March 2017 |
| Headquarters | 605 Monnow Way Bettws Newport NP20 7DJ |
| Ideology | |
| Colours | Amber |
| Local government in Wales[1] | 4 / 1,253
|
| Newport City Council[2] | 3 / 50
|
| Website | |
| newportindependents | |
The Newport Independents Party was registered with the Electoral Commission in March 2017 by its founder, Councillor Kevin Whitehead.[3] It aimed to break the "stale national party politics" in the city.[4] It allowed independent councillors to work as a group and, therefore, have the right to sit on council scrutiny committees.[5]
The party fielded fifteen candidates in the May 2017 elections to Newport City Council[4] and one candidate for Rogerstone Community Council.[6] Four Newport Independents were elected to Newport City Council on 4 May 2017: Kevin Whitehead, Janet Cleverly and Jason Jordan won seats in the Bettws ward and one candidate - Chris Evans - was successful in Rogerstone.[7] Evans resigned from the party in January 2022 after being discovered soliciting a sex worker.[8]
The party fielded ten candidates in the May 2022 local elections, across six Newport wards.[5] It retained its three seats in the Bettws ward.[9]
References edit
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project - 2017 - Newport". www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
- ^ "Open Council Data UK - compositions councillors parties wards elections". opencouncildata.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
- ^ "Newport Independents Party". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ a b Ian Craig (30 March 2017). "Fifteen candidates set to stand for Newport Independent Party". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ a b Rhiannon James (18 April 2022). "Council Election 2022: Newport Independents Party profile". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "Council Election 2017 - Newport community council nominees". South Wales Argus. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ Gareth Willey (5 May 2017). "Newport Local Election Results (2017)". Newport City Radio. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ Rhiannon James (19 January 2022). "Cllr Chris Evans resigns from Newport Independents Party". The National. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ Nicholas Thomas (6 May 2022). "Labour victory in Newport council elections 2022". The National. Retrieved 14 May 2022.