A PENPARCAU county councillor has resigned from Plaid Cymru and will instead continue as an independent after she was de-selected by the party while battling a serious spinal condition.

Lorrae Jones-Southgate said she was called to a hustings after the Aberystwyth branch of Plaid Cymru decided to consider other candidates for her seat in the 2017 elections.

She has spent months recovering from spinal surgery and been unable to attend council meetings.

The Plaid branch decided to put forward former Aberystwyth mayor Dylan Lewis as a candidate for one of the two Penparcau seats, alongside current serving Plaid councillor Steve Davies.

Cllr Jones-Southgate has said she will now contest the seat as an Independent after leaving the party.

She said: “I was invited to attend a hustings arranged by the Plaid Cymru Aberystwyth branch as they had, in my absence, invited prospective candidates interested in standing for the county council elections in May 2017 for the ward of Penparcau.

“All other local standing county councillors and new selections were unopposed.

“My presentation expanded on the achievements and growth of the ward during my near-on five years of representing Penparcau in the interest of all its residents.

“The outcome was that it was decided that evening by the Aberystwyth branch that Dylan Lewis and Cllr Steve Davies would be selected to represent Plaid Cymru in the elections of May 2017.

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