Plaid Cymru lose grip on Riverside as Labour candidate wins byelection vote

A byelection in Cardiff has been heralded as a victory for Labour after they ended Plaid Cymru dominance in Riverside. Iona Gordon said "Labour is coming back" after beating Plaid Cymru candidate Steve Garrett to the post by 601 votes – winning with 1,700 – up from 786 in 2008. Garrett, who founded the Riverside markets' franchise, was hoping to keep the seat for Plaid Cymru – who had three councillors in the ward before Gwenllian Lansdown announced she'd be standing down this year to start a family outside of Cardiff. Gordon, a mother of two from Riverside and chair of the Cardiff cycling campaign, thanked her fellow candidates following the results announcement, and said she hoped she wouldn't be labelled a "cycling nut": "Talking to people on their doorsteps, it's clear we must be protecting our green spaces, making the road ways and pavements safer, and dealing with parking issues and issues of overdevelopment in a sensitive way." Plaid Cymru won 1,099 votes – marginally higher than in the 2008 byelection won them the seat by 1,064 votes. Speaking after the results of the count, held at Llanishen leisure centre, were announced. Garrett – a well-known figure in Riverside – said he was undecided on whether to continue a path in politics: "Of course it's disappointing, but the Plaid Cymru vote pulled up compared to the previous byelection. I was gratified by the level of support – it showed there were plenty of people who did relate to what I was offering. I'm really glad I've had this experience." Garrett said he would continue with his PHD as well as a project setting up small farmers' markets in Africa – and passing on the managing of the Riverside Markets to "fresh blood". Plaid Cymru group leader Neil McEvoy said: "I'm really disappointed we don't have somebody like Steve on the council, because he would have been an amazing asset." Green party candidates at the count said they were pleased with the result which showed promise for the May Assembly elections. The results for all the candidates were as follows: Steve Garrett (Plaid Cymru): 1,099 Iona Gordon (Labour): 1,700 Gwilym Owen (Liberal Democrat): 187 James Roach (Conservative) 369 Yvan Maurel (Green party): 277 It was announced 39.8% of the electorate had turned out to vote – which is 3,655 of a 9,188 electorate for the Cardiff west ward. The 2008 turnout was higher by just a few votes at 39.9%.