VOTE counting is underway for Clwyd West after people across Conwy went to the polls on Thursday.

Thousands of votes to elect members to the Senedd and a Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales are being tallied by volunteers after polling stations closed at 10pm.

Conwy County Borough Council is administering the verification of the votes at The Barn in Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay.

The Barn, Colwyn Bay. Picture: Conwy County Borough Council/Twitter

The Barn, Colwyn Bay. Picture: Conwy County Borough Council/Twitter

Aaron Wynne, Plaid Cymru candidate for Clwyd West, said he believes the race is "really close" between himself and Welsh Conservative candidate Darren Millar.

Speaking to Jez Hemmings, Local Democracy Reporter, he said: "“Things look very close. I think it’s a two-horse race between us and the Conservatives but I think we’re definitely still in the race.

"We are really close of beating the Tories here, but we’ll have to wait until later on this afternoon until we get the full results.

“We’ve seen there has been an increase in postal votes because of Covid and I think that’s benefitted all parties. It benefits democracy either way: people are using their vote, which is great.

“We did see from the sampling we did first thing this morning more people were voting by post for Plaid Cymru, so that’s hopefully a good sign for us."

Votes for the Clwyd West constituency could be verified as early as Friday evening.

Yesterday saw the sixth general election in Wales since the Welsh Government was formed in 1999 and, for the first time, people aged 16 and over were eligible to vote.

Due to public health considerationg including social distancing, vote verification will take longer than usual. Local authorities are unsure how much time will be needed, however the final results are not expected until Monday.

The election will see a total of 60 people selected as Members of the Senedd - 40 as constituency MSs under the First Past the Post electoral system, and 20 to represent Wales' four regions under the Additional Member system.

Voter turnout is expected to be much higher than in 2017, when 45.3 per cent of the population turned out to vote, due to the enfranchisement of 16 and 17 year olds and the major role of the Welsh Government during lockdown.

Parties with candidates standing in Clwyd West include Jeanie Barton (UKIP Scrap The Assembly), Clare Eno (Reform UK), Rhydian Hughes (Gwlad - The Welsh Independence Party), Joshua Connor Hurst (Welsh Labour), Euan Joseph McGivern (Abolish The Welsh Assembly Party), Darren David Millar (Welsh Conservative Party Candidate), Dr Elin Mair Walker Jones (Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales), and David James Wilkins (Welsh Liberal Democrats).