This seat has been held since 1970 for Labour by Denzil Davies, a former shadow defence secretary; and in 1997 he retained the seat with a majority of 16,039 over Plaid Cymru. In the 1999 assembly elections Llanelli provided a shock when Plaid Cymru captured the seat. The party polled 11,973 votes, giving it a majority of 688 over Labour.
The local Carmarthenshire council is finely-balanced in terms of political control, although with 38 of the 80 councillors Labour forms the largest group. The Independents are the next-largest, on 28, followed by Plaid Cymru with 8, Independent Labour and the Independent Ratepayers on 2 apiece and the Liberal Democrats on 1, with 1 non-aligned councillor.
Llanelli is the largest town in Carmarthenshire, located in the industrial south east of the county. Traditionally the town’s main industries were steel and tinplate, giving it its nickname ‘Tresosban’ (saucepan town) and its rugby anthem Sosban fach. The mining districts are amongst the most heavily Welsh-speaking in Wales and the language is relatively strong in the town itself. While Llanelli has suffered from industrial decline it has seen major environmental improvements, notably the millennium coastal park.