2022 Wrexham County Borough Council election

In the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Conservative candidates won the constituencies of Wrexham and Clwyd South for the first time in their existence. The constituencies were generally considered to be Labour heartlands part of its "red wall",[2] and were won by Labour in the June 2017 election.[3][4] Sarah Atherton was elected for the Conservatives to represent the Wrexham constituency with 15,199 votes, and Simon Baynes for Clwyd South with 16,222 votes.[5] Atherton is the first Female MP to be elected to the Wrexham seat since its creation in 1918, and the first female Conservative MP elected to Westminster representing a Welsh constituency.[3][6][7][8]

On 31 January 2020, the UK left the EU, with the county borough in the 2016 referendum, voting 59% in favour of Leave.[3]

In the 2021 Senedd election, Welsh Labour incumbents for the Senedd consituencies of Wrexham and Clwyd South covering the county borough were re-elected,[3] despite media predictions and polling stating that one or both constituencies should follow the 2019 UK general election results and be won by Welsh Conservative candidates with a tight margin.[3][9][10][11] For the 2021 Police and Crime Commissioner election, Andy Dunbobbin of the Labour and Co-operative party received the most votes (98,034) in the county borough.[3]

Between 2017 and 2021, various community councils had by-elections, leading to three independent, four Welsh Labour, one Plaid Cymru, and five non-aligned candidates elected. An additional independent candidate was elected to Rhosllanerchrugog Community Council's Pant ward in September 2017 but was replaced by a Welsh Labour candidate in a by-election five months later.[3] Eight elections in this period were uncontested.

On 20 September 2018, an independent candidate for community councillor for Gwersyllt North was elected with 98 votes.[3] The councillor was later replaced in another by-election on 27 February 2020 leading to the Plaid Cymru candidate being elected with 189 votes.

On 18 March 2021, a by-election for the council's Maesydre ward occurred, leading to the Plaid Cymru candidate being elected with 150 votes, over the Welsh Labour (133 votes) and Welsh Conservative (123 votes) candidates.[3][12]

On 28 October 2021, a by-election in the ward of Gresford East and West was held following the resignation of the incumbent Conservative candidate.[13] The Welsh Conservatives were able to hold onto the ward, with Jeremy Kent being elected for the ward with 351 votes.[3][14][15]

On 17 December 2021, in the neighbouring English constituency of North Shropshire, the Liberal Democrat candidate overturned a 23,000 (2019) Conservative majority following the former MP Owen Paterson's scandal.[16][17]

In 2021, the council submitted bids for UK City of Culture 2025 on behalf of the county borough, and a separate bid for awarding the town of Wrexham the status of a city for the 2022 Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II civic honours.[18] In October 2021, the council's bid for UK City of Culture 2025 made it onto the competition's shortlist of only 8 shortlisted places in the UK, outbidding 12 other places (20 applied in total) and being the only one of the five bids from Wales making it onto the shortlist. In March 2022, Wrexham County Borough's bid for City of Culture made onto the competition's shortlist of only four places.[19][20] Wrexham's city status bid was submitted in December 2021 to local controversy.[21][22] Protests against the city status bid, lead by Plaid Cymru, were held outside Wrexham's Guildhall, the council's main building.[23][24] A public consultation into the city status bid revealed that of those surveyed, 61% did not believe Wrexham should be awarded city status at all.[25] Within the council, political groups threatened to walk out over the debate of city status.[26] The council was criticised for ignoring the survey's results by submitting a bid. Wrexham's city status bid is one of 39 bids across the UK and territories, it is the only bid from Wales, following Merthyr Tydfil's withdrawal of their bid. It is hoped that being the only Welsh bid leads to increased chances of Wrexham winning city status if the Queen awards city status to at least one town in the four countries of the United Kingdom. Wrexham has applied for city status three other times, in 2000, 2002 and 2012, with the 2012 bid lost to St Asaph, Denbighshire.

In January 2022, the council considered raising salaries for councillors to encourage more skilled and more diverse candidates for the 2022 election.[27][28][29][30]

The deadline for councillor nominations was 4 April 2022 at 16:00. 146 candidates were nominated, a decline from 155 in 2017. These nominees include: 48 independents (down 13), 30 Welsh Labour (down 9), 28 Welsh Conservatives (up 8), 24 Plaid Cymru (up 9), 8 Welsh Liberal Democrats (down 5), 4 Green Party of England and Wales (up 2), 3 non-aligned and 1 Reform UK candidate.[31]

Due to a lack of competing candidates for some electoral wards, upon the deadline for councillor nominees, eight councilors were re-elected due to no competition. These uncontested seats represent 14.29% of the total seats in the election, cancelling the election for 14,583 electors.[32] Wards with only the incumbent or one contender standing would not be holding the ward election.[32] The eight wards with no competition, is an increase from the three non-contending wards in the 2017 election.[31]

The eight wards and councillors not facing competition, and are re-elected prior to the election are:[31]

• Esclusham (Mark Pritchard; Independent; Council Leader)
• Garden Village (Andy Williams; Independent)
• Stansty (David Bithell; Independent)
• Borras Park (Debbie Wallice; Welsh Conservatives)
• Chirk South (Terry Evans; Independent)
• Cartrefle (Ronnie Prince; Independent; Mayor of Wrexham)
• Dyffryn Ceiriog (Trevor Bates; Independent)
• Holt (Michael Morris; Welsh Conservatives)

David Griffiths and Tina Mannering were the two incumbent councillors for the former Gwersyllt East and South ward, and elected in 2012 for such ward.

Ponciau was reduced from a two seat ward to a one seat ward for the 2022 election.

Rossett gained an additional councillor seat for 2022.