The Welsh Liberal Democrats have secured a narrow victory in a county council by-election in Llanidloes

Fleur Frantz-Morgans, who works for a domestic violence charity, was elected for the Welsh Liberal Democrats, holding the seat for the party despite a strong challenge from Reform.

Frantz-Morgans polled 557 votes with Reform candidate Graham Maurice Jones just six votes behind.

The by-election was called following the retirement of Liberal Democrat Councillor Gareth Morgan, who had served as Llanidloes’s councillor for 52 uninterrupted years.

Labour, who currently hold Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr at the parliamentary level, came fifth. The Conservatives, who held both the parliamentary and Senedd seats until recently, saw their vote share drop from 21 per cent to just 7.5 per cent, placing them fourth.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats stated that their win shows that while the Conservatives and Labour are losing votes to Reform, the Liberal Democrats are able to hold their ground, defeat Reform, and are not afraid to stand up to them rather than try to copy their policies.

Newly elected Councillor Fleur Frantz-Morgans said: "I would like to thank everyone from across the community who has placed their trust in me to represent them on the council.



 "I am looking forward to getting started straight away and ensuring local residents’ voices are heard clearly, and that the issues raised with me during the campaign are addressed."

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS added: "While Labour and the Conservatives continue to lose support to Reform across the country, the Liberal Democrats are holding our own. That is because, unlike the two old parties, we are not afraid to stand up to Nigel Farage and take the fight to Reform.

"As the Senedd elections approach, we will continue to make the case for the improvements people want to see in their lives. Whether that is support for small businesses, fixing social care to save the NHS, or ensuring childcare is affordable, we are focused on the issues that matter in people’s day-to-day lives."

The results were

CAMPBELL, David Dennis (Independent) – 6 - 0.4%

DAVIES, Phylip Rhys (Welsh Conservative Party) – 118 - 7.5%

DAVIES, Trudy (Welsh Labour) – 112 - 7.1%

EVANS, Victoria Louise (Plaid Cymru) – 225 - 14.3%

FRANTZ-MORGANS, Fleur (Welsh Liberal Democrats) - 557 (Elected) - 35.5%

JONES, Graham Maurice (Reform UK) – 551 - 35.1%