Labour & Conservative Clwyd South Candidates Chosen For Assembly Elections

With little over six months left until the Welsh Assembly Elections, candidates for Labour and Conservatives in the Clwyd South constituency have been unveiled.

Current Clwyd South Assembly Member, Ken Skates has been reselected as the 2016 Labour candidate. Labour AM Ken Skates, who was elected in 2011 with 42.4% of the vote, was unanimously chosen by the Clwyd South Labour Party.

A statement regarding the selection of Mr Skates reads: “An Assembly Member who ‘has a reputation for getting things done’ will fight to retain his seat after being formally chosen as his party’s candidate for Clwyd South.”

Chairman Ray Prescott said: “Ken’s been a brilliant AM for the past four years and has earned an excellent reputation for getting things done. As a constituency Labour Party we are delighted to select him as our candidate for May’s Assembly election and hope he emulates our MP Susan Elan Jones’ convincing victory earlier this year.”

Mr Prescott added: “As well as being instrumental in the successful campaign to save Plas Madoc Leisure Centre, Ken has helped get funding for new health facilities in Chirk and Llangollen and is now campaigning for one in Cefn Mawr.

“He persuaded the Welsh Government to help families in Coedpoeth who were facing huge bills because of land contamination, and he was behind the new foodbank to help people hit hardest by Tory cuts in Penycae and Rhos.

“He campaigns hard, he works incredibly hard and he has our full support.”

Ken said: “It’s been an honour to represent Clwyd South since 2011 and I’m thrilled to be chosen by local Labour members to be their candidate once again.

“I will continue to work as hard as I can to continue delivering for Clwyd South as Welsh Labour stands up for people suffering because of the Tory Government at Westminster,”

Also selected for the Assembly Elections is Welsh Conservative Candidate Simon Baynes.

The Clwyd South Conservative Association Chairman, Tony Partridge, said: “We are delighted that Simon Baynes has been selected as our Candidate for next year’s Assembly elections here in Clwyd South.

“He lives in the area and has been active in politics for over ten years as a parliamentary and assembly candidate and as a Councillor. We will be fighting a vigorous and positive campaign on local issues and our national policies for increased health spending, better education and a freeze in Council Tax for the people of Wales.”

Simon Baynes lives in the area and works as a writer, local Councillor and Administrator of the charity that he founded called Concertina – Music for the Elderly which makes grants to charities that provide musical entertainment for the elderly community in need – www.concertinamusic.ork.uk

Simon grew up at Lake Vyrnwy, where his father ran the hotel. At the last Assembly elections he achieved a swing of 7% to the Welsh Conservatives in Dwyfor Meirionnydd and he has been a very active, campaigning County Councillor and Town Councillor for many years.

Cllr Paul Rogers, Deputy Chairman of the Clwyd South Conservative Association, said: “I have known Simon for many years – he really cares about the local community and will campaign on local issues such as the threat to maternity services at Wrexham Maelor, working with Andrew Atkinson in Wrexham.

“We are all looking forward to working with Simon and winning the Clwyd South Assembly seat for the Welsh Conservatives so we get a better deal for the people of Clwyd South.”

Mr Skates and Mr Baynes join Mabon Ap Gwynfor, who was announced as Plaid Cymru’s Clwyd South candidate back in August.

Details of candidates announced so far for the Wrexham constituency can be found here.