11:18am Saturday 10th May 2008
By Jane Helmich
LIKE everyone else, the Labour leader on Newport city council is waiting for the results of two postponed elections.
Following last week's poll, the party which has controlled the authority for many years was left with 19 seats.
Close behind were the Conservatives with 17 seats, followed by the Liberal Democrats with six plus one Plaid Cymru representative and one Independent.
Three seats in the Bettws ward, previously held by Labour, and three in St Julians, previously held by the Lib Dems, will be contested on June 5.
Future control of the council cannot be resolved until those results are known.
Cllr Bob Bright, Labour's leader, said: "I'm keeping my options open but I am sure we will be the biggest party whatever happens."
Newport council has won praise from a number of sources in the last year - the annual audit revealed it was effectively and efficiently managed and it was the top education authority in Wales at key stages one and two.
It also has the one of the lowest council tax rates in the country.
But this did not persuade enough people to vote Labour.
Many people believed the backlash against the party at the local elections was the result of disatisfaction with Labour nationally.
Cllr Bright said that as he campaigned on the doorsteps in his Ringland ward people were unhappy about issues such as the decision to axe the ten pence tax rate.
Whatever the future holds, Cllr Bright was concerned that developments planned for Newport - such as the city centre regeneration, the proposed new Hartridge School and redevelopment of both banks of the river - did go ahead.
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