Lindsay Whittle

Cllr Lindsay Whittle
Member of the National Assembly for Wales for South Wales East
In office 6 May 2011 –5 April 2016 [1]
Personal details
Born	Caerphilly, Wales
Political party	Plaid Cymru
Profession	Politician

Lindsay Geoffrey Whittle is a Welsh Plaid Cymru politician who was a Member of the Welsh Assembly (AM) for the South Wales East region from 2011 to 2016.

He has represented the Penyrheol area as a councillor continuously since 1976.

Background

Whittle was born in Caerphilly in South Wales, and lives in Abertridwr, Caerphilly.

Political career

Local government

He was first elected in the 1976 local elections, representing the Penyrheol and Trecenydd ward on Rhymney Valley district council. ^[2] He was re-elected repeatedly until the council was abolished in 1996. ^[3] He served a number of terms as the only Plaid Cymru councillor as the ward.

After the abolition of Rhymney Valley council, he contested the Penyrheol ward on the new Caerphilly County Borough Council. He has represented this ward since the establishment of the council in 1995, being elected to represent the ward 7 times. ^{[4] [5] [6]} He continued to represent the ward during his time as a member of the National Assembly for Wales. ^{[7] [8]}

He has served as the council's leader for two distinct periods, 1999 to 2004 and 2008 to 2011. ^[9] He further has served as Plaid Cymru's group leader on the council since 2022. ^[10]

He is also the Welsh Local Government Association's spokesperson on Equalities, Community Safety and Social Justice. ^[11]

National politics

He stood in every Welsh Assembly election since its formation in 1999, and eight times for the Westminster Parliament seat of Caerphilly, at every General Election since the 1983 election. ^[11] In 2011 he was successfully elected as a member of the Welsh Assembly on the South Wales East list. ^[12]

After the death of Hefin David, Whittle was announced as Plaid Cymru's candidate for the 2025 Caerphilly by-election. ^[13]

In the 2026 Senedd election, he will be a candidate in the Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni constituency. ^[14]

Electoral performance

Whittle has contested several elections under the Plaid Cymru banner:

National and Welsh Assembly elections

Date of election	Seat		Party	Votes	% of votes	Result
2024 general election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	8,119	21.2	Not elected
2019 general election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	6,424	16.0	Not elected
2017 general election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	5,962	14.4	Not elected
2016 Welsh Assembly election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	8,009	29.5	Not elected
2011 Welsh Assembly election	South Wales East		Plaid Cymru	21,851	12.1	Elected
2010 general election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	6,460	16.7	Not elected
2007 Welsh Assembly election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	6,739	25.8	Not elected
2005 general election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	6,831	17.4	Not elected
2003 Welsh Assembly election [15]	South Wales East		Plaid Cymru	21,384	12.6	Not elected
2003 Welsh Assembly election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	6,919	27.4	Not elected
2001 general election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	8,172	21.0	Not elected
1999 Welsh Assembly election [16]	South Wales East		Plaid Cymru	49,139	30.37	Not elected
1997 general election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	4,383	9.7	Not elected
1992 general election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	4,821	9.7	Not elected
1987 general election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	3,955	8.05	Not elected
1983 general election	Caerphilly		Plaid Cymru	6,414	13.56	Not elected

Offices held

Senedd
Preceded by	Assembly Member for South Wales East 2011–2016	Succeeded by David Rowlands
Political offices
Preceded by Gerald Thomas	Leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council 1999–2004	Succeeded by Harry Andrews
Preceded by Harry Andrews	Leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council 2008–2011	Succeeded by Allan Pritchard

References

1. "Member Profile". National Assembly for Wales.
2. "Rhymney Valley". South Wales Argus . 7 May 1976. p. 9. Retrieved 12 September 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Rhymney Valley Welsh District Council Elections Results 1973-1991" (PDF). electionscentre.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
4. "Caerphilly County Borough Council Election Results 1995-2012" (PDF). electionscentre.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
5. "Caerphilly County Borough Council Elections 2017". caerphilly.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
6. "Caerphilly County Borough Council Elections 2022". caerphilly.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
7. "Lindsay Whittle, new Plaid Cymru AM, quits council post". BBC News. 11 May 2011.
8. "Caerphilly leader to stay on for replacement". South Wales Argus. 11 May 2011.
9. "Cllr Lindsay Whittle". Caerphilly County Borough Council . Archived from the original on 29 May 2012.
10. "Former Senedd member to lead Plaid Cymru on Caerphilly council". 16 May 2022.
11. "Lindsay Whittle - Plaid Cymru". plaidcymru.org. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
12. "Tories, Plaid celebrate as Lib Dems face more pain". South Wales Argus. 6 May 2011.
13. "Plaid selects former AM for Senedd by-election". Nation.Cymru. 3 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
14. Mansfield, Mark (14 June 2025). "Plaid Cymru 'probes selection of sitting Senedd Member for next year's election'". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
15. "BBC NEWS | VOTE 2003". news.bbc.co.uk.
16. "BBC News | Elections | Wales 99 | Regions | South Wales East". news.bbc.co.uk.