At their first monthly meeting after the May 1st elections, Neath and Port Talbot Liberal Democrats welcomed Joanne Foster, the new Chief Executive of Welsh Liberal Democrats. There were congratulations for John Warman (Cimla) and Keith Davies (Coedffranc North), who retained their seats, and for new councillors Des Sparkes (Cimla) and Frank Little (Cadoxton).

It was felt that the strengthened Liberal Democrat group (now third-largest on the council) would increase its effectiveness out of proportion to the increase in its numbers.

The meeting resolved to campaign on behalf of the people of Baglan, who had been denied a democratic choice at the election, after the last-minute defection of two Ratepayer candidates to the Labour party.

It was reported that the ruling Labour group on Neath Port Talbot council had voted against offering chairs of any scrutiny committee to opposition councillors. In view of the fact that LibDem-led Swansea had proposed that the Labour opposition should have the choice of Swansea’s scrutiny chairs, and a similar move in Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot’s obduracy was condemned as undemocratic.

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