I WOULD like to congratulate Cllr Leonard on being elected to serve the people of Risca East.

I am sure that Cllr Leonard will work hard for all in her ward, proving to be a worthy successor to the late Cllr Stan Jenkins. One has to ask where now for Plaid who came fourth in the ballot? Plaid opted to fight a negative campaign which the people of Risca East overwhelmingly rejected. We all remember the words of Plaid Cymru Cllr Martyn James, who boasted that “If there was a Caerphilly council vote today, there’d be a lot of different faces in this chamber”.

Well, he was right on one count. We do have a new face, but it’s not a Nationalist one. Plaid’s AM Jocelyn Davies felt sure that Plaid would win the seat. She, like many Plaid councillors, must be asking themselves serious questions about the direction of Plaid and the abilities and leadership provided by Cllr Mann. Maybe Cllr Martyn could move a motion of no confidence in his leader – or are Plaid a lost cause destined for the dustbin of history?

Cllr Nigel Dix, Blackwood