The first councillor to be declared in last week’s local elections was Christopher Edwards from the Welsh Conservative Party.
He retained his seat for St Kingsmark after receiving 399 votes. Hilary Beech from the Welsh Labour Party had 212 votes and Jennifer Mary Brews from the Welsh Liberal Democrats had 105 votes.
Catrin Maby from Welsh Labour with 263 votes, took a seat from Conservative member Mat Feakins with 213 votes in the Drybridge ward. Martyn Ford, independent, received 178 votes.
The Council leader Richard John, Welsh Conservative Party, retained his seat with 753 votes for the Mitchel Troy and Trellech United ward.
Also from the Conservative Party, Jayne McKenna has been elected after receiving 730 votes. Martin Blakebrough from the Welsh Liberal Democrats with 626 votes, Joe Atkinson from the Green Party with 365 votes, Alison Denton from the Welsh Labour Party with 304 votes and Laura McConnel also from the Welsh Labour Party with 224 votes stood for the seat in the Mitchel Troy and Trellech United ward.
Jane Lucas, Welsh Conservatives, received 416 votes and was elected as county councillor for the Osbaston ward. David Simcock from the Welsh Labour Party had 240 votes and Jill Cantor from the Green Party had 102 votes.
With 305 votes, Emma Bryn, Independent, won the seat for the Wyeshem ward. Robert James Hatton, Welsh Conservatives, received 207 votes, with Alice Fletcher, Welsh Labour, receiving 150 votes.
Welsh Labour’s Catherine Fookes was elected as councillor for the Town ward after receiving 339 votes. Abbie Katsande from the Welsh Conservative Party had 212 votes and David Cummings, Independent, had 142 votes.
With 262 votes, Stephen Garratt from the Welsh Labour Party was elected as councillor of Overmonnow. Kelly Jackson-Graham (Independent) received 89 votes, Jamie Treharne (Conservative Party) received 200 votes and Andrew Were (Green Party) received 27 votes.
In Llanfoist Fawr and Govilon, Ben Callard from the Welsh Labour was elected after receiving 727 votes. The result for the second councillor to be elected in this ward came down to a dramatic coin toss after Tomos Dafydd Davies, Conservative Party, and Bryony Nicholson, Welsh Labour Party, both received 679 votes.
Tomos Dafydd Davies won the coin toss and was elected as councillor. Hannah Elizabeth Jarvis, Conservative Party, received 676 votes.
Bryony Nicholson said: “I’m gutted. I’m obviously pleased for Ben Callard, we have been friends for a long time and have worked very hard canvassing and campaigning together.”
Paul Matthews, chief executive of Monmouthshire County Council said: “In all my time doing this, I have never seen something in that nature.”
The video of the coin toss on https://www.monmouthshirebeacon.co.uk/news/politics/local-election-results-live-546601
Janet Butler from the Welsh Conservative Party then took the Goytre Fawr ward seat after receiving 412 votes. Janet Robins from the Welsh Labour Party had 313 votes and Alan Williams from the Green Party had 103 votes.
The Mount Pleasant ward seat was taken by Paul Pavia from the Conservative party after receiving 333 votes. Emma Louise Becker had 304 votes and Peter Marsh-Jenks had 144 votes.
Simon Howarth, Independent, retained his Llanelly seat with 609 votes. Mary Ann Brocklesby from Welsh Labour received 518 votes taking the remaining Llanelly seat from Jane Pratt from the Welsh Conservative Party by just 9 votes.
Fay Bromfield from the Welsh Conservative Party took the Llangybi Fawr seat after receiving 357 votes. Andy Hunt, Independent, had 257 votes and Sally Ashby, Welsh Labour Party had 91 votes.
In the Crucorney ward, David Wynne Hughes Jones, Independent, retained his seat with 416 votes. Rachel Egerton Buckler, Welsh Conservative Party, received 251 votes and Virginia Jane Baillie, Green party with 108 votes.
Lisa Dymock from the Welsh Conservative Party was elected as councillor for Portskewett after receiving 558 votes. Senedd member Peter Fox previously held the seat but did not stand for re-election. Tom Kirton, Welsh Labour, had 291 votes and Tim Wreford-Bush, Liberal Democrats had 62 votes.
Armand Watts from the Welsh Labour Party retains his seat in Bulwark and Thornwell with 693 votes. Sue Riley, also from the Welsh Labour Party, was elected as a councillor for the ward receiving 635 votes. Keeley Rooke, Welsh Conservatives, missed out on being elected after receiving 268 votes.
The Mayor of Abergavenny, Tudor Thomas from the Welsh Labour Party, was re-elected as councillor for Park after receiving 553 votes. Fred Morgan, Conservative Party, had 181 votes.
Elected as councillor for the Magor West ward is Frances Taylor, Independent, with 553 votes. Welsh Labour’s Janet Simcock received 101 votes and Welsh conservative’s Oliver Morgan received 65 votes.
Louise Brown from the Conservative Party was elected as councillor for the Shirenewton ward with 493 votes. Hugo Perks, Welsh Labour, received 308 votes.
In the Pen Y Fal ward, Maureen Powell from the Conservative Party has been elected as councillor with 389 votes. Matthew Strong, Welsh Labour with 376 votes and Tudor Jones, Liberal Democrats, with 90 votes also stood to be elected for this ward.
The biggest turnout with 56.05 per cent was in the Llanbadoc and Usk ward where David Howells, Independent, and Anthony Kear, Welsh Conservatives were elected as councillors. They received 847 votes and 755 votes respectively.
Val Smith previously held this seat but lost it after receiving 523 votes. Val Smith said: “I’ve had a great time as an elected member, and I would like to thank the people of Llanbadoc for their wonderful support over the years.”
Phil Murphy from the Conservative Party was elected as councillor for Caerwent with 457 votes. Steve Hoselitz, Conservative Party, had 168 votes, Bernadette Howley, Green Party, had 69 votes and Phil Hobson, Liberal Democrats, had 58 votes.
For the Devauden ward, Robert Greenland from the Conservative Party was elected as councillor after receiving 318 votes. Welsh Labour’s Margaret Griffiths had 198 votes, Emily Fairman from the Green Party had 66 votes and Moira Coleman from the Liberal democrats had 63 votes.
The only Green party member to be elected was Ian Chandler for Llantilio Crossenny with 474 votes. Ruth Edwards from the Conservative Party had 329 votes and Ann Eggleton from the Welsh Labour Party had 93 votes.
Conservative Party member Ann Webb has returned as councillor for St Arvans with 341 votes. Vanessa Dodd, Welsh Labour, had 217 votes, Reuben Blakebrough, Liberal Democrats had 89 votes, Paul Rollings, Green Party, had 78 votes and Steve Pocock, Independent, received 56 votes.
Peter Strong, Welsh Labour, has been elected to serve the ward of Rogiet with 187 votes.
The seat had previously been held by Liberal Democrats’ Linda Guppy who didn’t stand for re-election.
Paul Cromwell, Conservative party, had 168 votes and Sebastian McVicker-Orringe, Independent, had 141 votes.
In the Raglan ward, Conservative Party member Penny Jones retained her seat as councillor with 422 votes.
Nick Ramsay, Liberal Democrats, received 294 votes and Maggie Harris, Welsh Labour, received 119 votes.
Malcom Lane, Conservative Party, has been elected as councillor for Mardy with 256 votes. Ralph Frederick Chapman, Independent, received 123 votes, Gethin Jones, Welsh Labour, received 178 votes and Ian Prince, Liberal Democrats, received 52 votes.
Welsh Labour’s Jackie Strong has retained her seat for the ward of Caldicot Cross with 331 votes. Alan Davies, Independent, with 174 votes and Edward Saville, Welsh Conservatives, with 132 votes also stood for the seat in the Caldicot Cross ward.
Su McConnel, Welsh Labour, has been elected as councillor for Croesonen with 368 votes. Muftuoglu Mehmet, Conservative Party, received 147 votes and Duchet Didier (Liberal Democrats) received 41 votes.
Labour retained their seat in the West End ward as Jill Bond is elected councillor with 316 votes. Jimmy Harris, Independent, took 101 votes and Joanne Fox, Welsh Conservatives, received 63 votes.
Welsh Labour’s Tony Easson has been elected as councillor for Dewstow with 303 votes. Carol Carne, Conservative Party, received 78 votes, Caroline Duchet, Liberal Democrats, received 27 votes and Clive Shakesheff, Green Party, received 16 votes.
Welsh Labour secured another two seats as Paul Griffiths and Dlae Rooke from the Welsh Labour Party were elected as councillors for Chepstow Council and Larkfield, with 432 and 381 votes respectively. Jez Becker, Liberal Democrats, received 313 votes.
Laura Wright from the Welsh Labour Party took a seat from Conservative member Sheila Woodhouse for Grofield with 523 votes. Sheila Woodhouse received 338 votes.
Maryn Groucutt, Welsh Labour, has returned as the councillor for Lansdown with 315 votes.
Victoria Camp, Welsh Conservatives, received 104 votes, with Kevin Williams, Independent, receiving 79 votes.
Maria Marinella Stevens has also returned as councillor but for the ward of Severn with 256 votes.
Chris Watkins, Liberal Democrats took 154 votes, with Sue Standing, Conservative Party, receiving 126 votes.
For Caldicot Castle Rachel Garrick, Labour and Co-operative Party was elected after receiving 305 votes. Ben Harris, Conservative Party, received 233 votes and Jo Watkins, Liberal Democrats, received 182 votes.
Conservatives suffer significant losses to Labour, who will have 22 seats in the new administration after gaining 14 seats, the most of any party in Monmouthshire but not enough for a majority.
Conservatives have 18 seats, a loss of six from before these elections, while the Independent Party have five seats and the Green Party has one seat - the first for the party in Monmouthshire.
Ian Chandler, Monmouthshire’s first Green Party councillor, commented: ‘‘I will champion a progressive agenda for the whole council to tackle both the climate emergency and the cost of living crisis. I hope to work with councillors from all parties to put in place new evidence-based policies that can make Monmouthshire a beacon for progressive action and to make a tangible difference for people in local communities. .
Liberal Democrats have lost their five seats and despite candidates standing for election will have no seats in the next council.