Powys election: Race for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe seat

The General Election called by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will see voters go to the polls on July 4.

Here at the County Times we have put together a guide for voters in the Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe constituency for all you need to know before the upcoming vote.

Who is standing?

This year will see current Conservative MP, Fay Jones compete for the seat against number of challengers.

The constituency has flipped between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats since the 1980s, and the Lib Dems have put forward David Chadwick - who previously ran for MP in North Dorset but who has family ties to Builth Wells.

Labour have not held the seat since the 1970s but hope that candidate Matthew Dorrance, who serves as deputy leader for Powys County Council, will be able to change the party's fortunes.

Plaid Cymru have nominated Emily Durrant who previously stood as a Green councillor.

Her former party have nominated Amerjit Kaur-Dhaliwal who previously held the role of deputy leader of the Green Party in Wales - the first person of Asian descent to hold such a role in Wales.

Reform UK have chosen Adam Hill who previously served in the Royal Navy and worked as a herdsman in Dorset and Somerset.

How have previous elections gone?

Since 2010 the constituency has flipped between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservative party.

The last general election saw current MP, Fay Jones beat the incumbent Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds by a comfortable margin, and Ms Jones now serves as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales in Rishi Sunak's Government.

The Liberal Democrats will be hopeful after gaining control of the council in 2022 as part of a coalition.

There are also signs of hope for Labour who gained nearly five per cent in the last Senedd election in 2021. Labour has traditionally had more success in the south of the county, and its representatives on Powys County Council - in whose leading coalition the party is the junior partner - are predominantly based in the Brecon and Ystradgynlais areas. 

There were also more modest gains for the Green Party and Plaid Cymru in the Senedd election.

What are the main issues?

Some of the main issues being brought up by voters focus on healthcare – including the lack of a general hospital or accident and emergency in Powys, ambulance wait times and the severe shortage of NHS dentists.

Many have raised concerns about potential large scale wind farm developments and what effect that could have on the tourism industry in the constituency.

Concerns have also been raised about housing which is being thought to be forcing young people from the area.

The issue of poor infrastructure is also a serious worry in the area with many pointing to poor roads and public transport services.

What are the changes to the constituency?

There has been a redrawing of the constituency map after a national review saw eight constituencies in Wales being abolished to reflect changes in demographics.

This has seen the previous Brecon and Radnorshire constituency incorporate Cwm Tawe which is part of the soon to be abolished Neath constituency.

It is unclear whether this will make a major difference but is a good sign for Labour as the Neath constituency has regularly voted for Labour for almost the entirety of the last century.