A LABOUR duo have beaten former councillor­ Eric Hughes to be voted in as new members of Machynlleth Town Council.

The election, to fill two vacancies following the sad death of former mayor Sylvia Rowlands and the resignation of James Goodband, was held last Thursday.

Simon Morpeth and Andy Tack were successful in winning the seats.

In a turnout of 29 per cent, there were 422 votes for Mr Morpeth, 404 votes for Mr Tack, and Mr Hughes polled 67 votes.

The two Labour councillors, who were backed by members of the Machynlleth Labour­ Party branch, with members posting flyers through doors in the town leading up to polling day, said they were pleased to have won the seats and vowed to work for residents of the town.

Cllr Morpeth, who has been a resident of the Dyfi Valley for 20 years and was a GP in Machynlleth, said: “I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the people who voted for me and to the local Labour party members who got out on the streets to canvas support.

“I’m looking forward to working with and learning from my fellow councillors.

“I hope I can help the people of Machynlleth empower themselves to make changes.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

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