SWANSEA has its first Reform UK councillor after Cllr Francesca O’Brien, who represents Mumbles, joined the party.
The former Welsh Conservative was first elected to the council in 2022 and described Reform UK as the only chance to break the “Labour-Plaid consensus in Cardiff Bay and create a government in Wales that understands the concerns of ordinary people”.
Cllr O’Brien had stood as a prospective Conservative MP for Gower in the 2019 general election, finishing second behind Labour’s Tonia Antoniazzi.
“I’m proud to be announcing that I am joining Reform UK,” said Cllr O’Brien.
“Reform UK is our only chance to finally break up the Labour/Plaid consensus in Cardiff Bay and create a government in Wales that understands the concerns of ordinary people.”
She said Reform UK was committed to ending “the bleeding of millions of taxpayer pounds on things like empty Welsh Government buildings and pointless overseas offices” and would redirect that money back into Wales.
She added: “I continue to remain dedicated to my role as a councillor, determined to make our communities thrive, businesses boom and deliver a safe and vibrant community for our families to live and work.”
Reform UK said it now had 16 councillors in Wales, including two in Carmarthenshire.
Cllr O’Brien has been an officer with the Royal Air Force air cadets for over 17 years and is a member of the Mumbles and South Gower Royal British Legion. She is also a Mumbles community councillor.
A mother to two young boys, she said she also worked for 12 years in the motor industry and was involved in the farming sector for a time, working on a “farm to fork” business in Gower. She is also the former deputy leader of the Welsh Conservatives in Swansea.
Cllr O’Brien’s father, Richard Lewis, has served as councillor for Gower for decades as a Conservative,Independent and Liberal Democrat, and also sought the Gower parliamentary seat in 2005 on a UK Independence Party ticket.
Mumbles has two other councillors – both Conservative – Will Thomas and Angela O’Connor.
