'Plaid the only credible option to lead the next government'

Caerphilly’s new Senedd Member, Plaid’s Lindsay Whittle, has written to the voters who elected him

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HAD I slept, I may have thought that I was dreaming.

When I stood on the stage of the Caerffili Leisure Centre, duly elected as the new Senedd Member for the constituency having contested the seat 13 times previously, one feeling overwhelmed me - gratitude.

Gratitude to the hundreds of activists who walked the streets in all weathers to spread Plaid Cymru’s positive message, to the other candidates who showed good grace throughout the campaign, and to the people of the area that I know and love so deeply for putting their trust in me.

This was a by-election no one wanted. I can never fill Hefin David's shoes but my promise is to tread the same path he did in the spirit of service and loyalty to Caerffili and its people.

To me, that means saying what I mean and meaning what I say.

It means listening to concerns and acting upon them. It means never taking trust and goodwill for granted, and it means giving the place I call home a strong voice that cannot be ignored by the Labour Welsh Government or Keir Starmer and his colleagues in Westminster.