Several Monmouthshire councillors, as well as two from Abergavenny, have been confirmed as candidates for next year’s Senedd election, as parties announce their candidates ahead of campaigning.

Labour councillors, Ben Callard and Laura Wright, who are both cabinet members for Monmouthshire County Council and Abergavenny Town councillors.

Meanwhile, Su McConnel, who represents Croesonnen, will also attempt to become the second name on Labour’s list of candidates for the constituency.

Labour has already said that sitting Senedd Members will get the top candidate spot for the party in any constituencies where they exist, meaning Torfaen’s Lyn Neagle will assume that spot for the new Sir Fynwy Torfaen constituency.

Cllr, Catrin Maby, who was the Labour candidate for Monmouthshire at the 2021 Senedd Election, will also be throwing her hat into the ring once again.

They will be battling Anthony Hunt for ranking priority, who has led Torfaen council since 2016. He is also facing a challenge from six other Torfaen councillors for the coveted second place spot on the list of candidates Labour will put forward.

The others going for that spot are Torfaen councillors, Nick Byrne and Peter Jones.

The Greens have selected Monmouthshire cabinet member, Ian Chandler, who sits in coalition with the Labour group as its candidate, who stood to become the MP at last year’s General Election.

Seats in the expanded 96 member Senedd will be allocated on a party’s percentage of the vote, with the greater the share of their vote in each constituency the more of their candidates will be elected.

For the Conservatives, that means the current holder of the seat for Monmouthshire, Peter Fox, will be at the top of their ranking list but there are also a number of councillors vying to make their way into the Senedd.

The Tories’ ranking list has already been decided, with Monmouthshire opposition leader, Richard John, ranking second with his colleague Lisa Dymock third and 2024 General Election candidate for Torfaen, Nathan Edmunds, coming in fourth.

Parties can nominate up to eight candidates, but the Conservatives will be adding to their top four ranking names at a later date.

Cllr John, who works as a political consultant for a Cardiff Bay lobbying firm, represents the Mitchell Troy and Trellech ward.

Mr Edmunds is an electrical design engineer and finished behind both Labour and Reform UK in the Torfaen constituency.

Speaking of Reform, the party’s only Senedd Member currently occupies a regional seat for the South Wales East area. Covering both of the current Torfaen and Monmouthshire constituencies, it is possible that she will assume the party’s number one candidate spot for the new constituency as well.

While the Party hasn’t got a seat on Monmouthshire Council, it did form its first group on a Welsh council in Torfaen last year, and won its first council seat in a by-election in Pontypool in February.

Reform UK is on record as saying the process to find a Welsh leader was open to everyone in the party, but admits that the dynamics of how the election will work for them are still uncertain.