Newport Independents Party Explained

Newport Independents Party
Colorcode:
  1. ffbb00
Ideology:
Headquarters:605 Monnow Way
Bettws
Newport
NP20 7DJ
Country:the United Kingdom
Leader1 Title:Leader
Leader1 Name:Kevin Whitehead
Leader2 Title:Nominating officer
Leader2 Name:Jason Alan Jordan
Leader3 Title:Treasurer
Leader3 Name:Diane Josephine Jordan
Leader4 Title:Campaigns officer
Leader4 Name:Kevin Whitehead
Leader5 Title:Additional officer
Leader5 Name:Andrew Collingbourne
Seats1 Title:Local government in Wales[1]
Colours:Amber
Seats2 Title:Newport City Council[2]
Country2:Wales

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.

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 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. It retained its three seats in the Bettws ward.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Local Elections Archive Project - 2017 - Newport. www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap. 2019-05-02.
  2. Web site: Open Council Data UK - compositions councillors parties wards elections. opencouncildata.co.uk. 2019-05-06.
  3. Web site: Newport Independents Party. The Electoral Commission . 2018-09-23 .
  4. News: Ian Craig . Fifteen candidates set to stand for Newport Independent Party . South Wales Argus . 30 March 2017 . 2018-09-23 .
  5. News: Rhiannon James . Council Election 2022: Newport Independents Party profile . South Wales Argus . 18 April 2022 . 2022-05-14 .
  6. News: Council Election 2017 - Newport community council nominees . South Wales Argus . 10 April 2017 . 2018-09-23 .
  7. News: Gareth Willey . Newport Local Election Results (2017) . Newport City Radio . 5 May 2017 . 2018-09-23 .
  8. News: Rhiannon James . Cllr Chris Evans resigns from Newport Independents Party . . 19 January 2022 . 2022-05-14 .
  9. News: Nicholas Thomas . Labour victory in Newport council elections 2022 . The National . 6 May 2022 . 2022-05-14 .