The fight for the Senedd enters its last week – meet the candidates vying for your votes on Thursday, May 7

The fight for the Senedd enters its last stage with polling day on Thursday, May 7.

The candidates have just days to persuade voters to lend them their support.

There are many changes in this election including a new voting system, new constituencies and a new set of candidates.

The new voting system will see a ‘closed proportional list system’ – where you vote for a political party or an independent candidate, rather than individual people, as you would in a UK general election.

The ballot paper will show the full list of candidates in your constituency, so you can still see who you're voting for.

If a party wins enough votes, they will win one or more seats in the Senedd in that constituency.

The more votes picked up by the party the more seats it picks up – meaning they can gain seats for their second, third or fourth choice candidates.

If an independent candidate wins enough votes, they will win a seat in the Senedd.

Seats will reflect the percentage of votes each party or independent candidate gets with six members being voted in each constituency.

Voters in the middle and south of Powys will be part of the Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, which also includes voters in Neath Port Talbot and Swansea.

Anyone above the age of 16 and who is registered to vote can do so.

Key information can be found here : https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

The top candidates for each party were asked to tell you about themselves and their policies.

The candidates

Welsh Christian Party –Jeff Green

He said: “If we see a need in society, we like to step up to the plate.

“That’s why I stood as a local councillor for Llandrindod Wells for nine years.

“That’s why I helped rescue the Pavilion Mid Wales, set up Welsh Bikers for Suicide Prevention charity and stood in as Chairman of two local Scout Groups for the last five years. He has also run a local business for the last 23 years.

“It’s not just local problems, but ones that affect the nation which concern us. Issues we see in Brycheioniog Tawe Nedd which affect the farmers, the elderly, businesses, our health, the environment and the youth and families also affect many parts of Wales.

“If you agree that current party policies are making things worse, then how can you vote for the old parties with wrong solutions, run by politicians with self-interest and personal agendas?

“If you don’t want a career politician but someone with honesty, integrity and a heart for Wales, then vote for Jeff Green on May 7.”

Conservative – Tyler Chambers

Tyler Chambers is a Senedd candidate for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, raised in Radnorshire where he has lived all his life.

He grew up on Maes Y Brenin, a council estate in Rhayader, which shaped his understanding of the challenges facing families across Mid Wales. At the same time, he spent much of his youth in the countryside, helping on local farms and developing a strong connection to rural life.

His first job was in a local newsagents, before moving on to work in his family’s chip shop. When his father was made redundant, Tyler helped set up a new family business, an experience that instilled in him the values of hard work, resilience, and support for small, local enterprises.

He later worked for Wales’ largest public affairs company, gaining insight into decision-making at the highest levels. He has also worked for a Senedd Member, supporting constituents in Brecon and Radnorshire and managing day-to-day casework.

Tyler remains closely connected to agriculture, having worked on local farms for years. Today, his family runs a smallholding with Dorset sheep. He has also held senior roles within the Welsh Conservatives.

Green Party – Nathan Gold-up Jones

Nathan, Wales’ first young Green councillor, was elected in 2022 and has already made a significant impact in his local community. He has delivered for residents through flood alleviation schemes, protecting vital bus routes, and securing funding for active travel.

Passionate about building a better, fairer, and more sustainable Wales, Nathan puts community at the heart of everything he does. He brings the right experience to match that vision: a trained planner and urban designer who now works as a transport planner, he understands what’s broken—and how to fix it.

A proud member of the LGBT+ community, as well as a dedicated runner and fundraiser, Nathan is committed to delivering for the people of Wales just as he has for Skewen.

Gwlad – Philip Owen

I joined Gwlad as Brexit made it clear that the UK economy was going to be managed for the benefit of the City of London.

I went to school in Builth Wells and Brecon. I served an engineering apprenticeship and gained degrees in Engineering Science and Management Science.

After a few years in Power Engineering mostly for nuclear, I worked on new product development, mostly managing Research and Development in electronic materials.

I sometimes found the chance to work in Industrial South Wales at Pontarddulais and Brynmawr but opportunity in Wales is scarce, not just in rural areas.

For the last 30 years I have run my own consultancy on Innovation and Trade which I moved from Cambridge to Wales. A project to review 120 inventions from the Russian Academy of Sciences led to a focus on trade with Russia with clients from across the world.

I can provide a much higher level of insight into industry, exportable services and trade than a typical Senedd candidate. I can help Wales to be rich with the resources to build a modern welfare state.

Heritage Party – Jennifer Roberts

Jennifer Roberts is a South Wales textile artist and proud member of her local community. Through her creative work, she celebrates the culture, heritage, and traditions that make the nation unique. She is standing for election to protect values and ensure they are passed on to future generations. Jennifer believes in strong families, community pride, and common-sense policies. She supports restoring parents as the primary educators, protecting freedom of speech, and defending our fundamental rights. Her priorities are to defend our culture and heritage, support parents as the primary educators, protect free speech and fundamental freedoms, support farmers and strengthen food security, promote self-sufficiency in energy and skills, protect farmland, rivers, and countryside, rebuild local industry and jobs and oppose harmful overdevelopment Jennifer is committed to representing Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd with honesty, determination, and accountability. She will stand up for local people and ensure your voice is heard.

Labour Party – Mahaboob Basha

Mahaboob Basha is a freelance international business consultant with a strong background in public engagement and policy.

He previously served as External Relations Manager at Swansea University’s Energy & Environmental Research Institute.

A long-time advocate for inclusion, he chairs Welsh Labour’s BAME Committee and the regional BAME branch covering Swansea, Neath, Gower, Powys, Aberavon, Maesteg, and Ogmore - where his outreach has helped engage over 200 new BAME members.

As a community organiser, Mahaboob founded the Sketty Youth Club and Sketty Tea Lounge during the pandemic, delivering over 22,000 hot meals to vulnerable children and older residents.

In 2021, he stood as Labour’s regional Senedd candidate for South West Wales.

Liberal Democrats – Jane Dodds

Jane Dodds is the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ lead Senedd candidate for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd and has served as a Senedd Member for Mid & West Wales since 2021.

Born into a Welsh-speaking family in Wrexham, Jane spent 27 years as a child protection social worker, supporting vulnerable children.

In 2012, she returned to Wales to care for her mother, who had dementia, moving first to Welshpool and later to Hay-on-Wye, where she has lived with her husband Patrick since 2019.

During the last Senedd term, Jane secured major investment for Powys, including £30 million for social care, helping cut delayed hospital discharges by a third; £450,000 for the North Powys Health Hub; £1.25 million for the Heart of Wales line; £400,000 for Pont y Bat junction safety; £500,000 for public toilets in Powys; £200,000 for Wyeside Arts Centre; and £5 million to tackle river pollution.

Her priorities for the next Senedd term include: improving access to affordable childcare, tackling long delays in NHS waiting times and at GPs and improving social care, fixing the dental desert in Radnorshire and supporting rural high streets and farmers across Mid Wales.

Plaid Cymru – Sioned Ann Williams

Sioned Williams was elected as Member of the Senedd for South Wales West in 2021

She cares passionately about fighting for fairness and prosperity and as Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for Social Justice and Early Years, she has led on some of the party’s most important policies to achieve a fairer Wales such as universal free primary school meals, expanding free childcare and tackling child poverty.

She has campaigned locally on issues such as better bus services, support for town centres and against high street bank closures, and nationally on issues such as women’s healthcare, support for disabled people and strengthening human rights in Wales.

She lives with my husband and two children in the Swansea Valley and before being elected to the Senedd, she was formerly a BBC Wales journalist before going to work for Swansea University.

Reform UK – James Evans

James Evans is a former Member of the Senedd for Brecon and Radnorshire and Reform UK’s lead candidate for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd.

Elected to the Senedd in 2021, James has built a reputation as a strong advocate for rural Wales, consistently standing up for farmers, small businesses and local communities.

He has been an active voice on key issues including agriculture, the rural economy and the protection of the Welsh countryside.

Born and raised in Mid Wales, James has a deep understanding of the challenges facing rural communities and has worked closely with residents, businesses and organisations across the region to represent their concerns at national level.

As Reform UK’s lead candidate, he is focused on delivering practical solutions, restoring common sense to Welsh politics, and ensuring that communities across Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd have a strong and effective voice in the Senedd.

Independent – Dai Richards

In the 2024 General Election he received 10,170 votes, finishing second in the poll and for the last 10 years Dai has been fighting for the safety of a resident's group in Glynneath as the chairman of Glynneath Residents Against Contamination.

During this time he has become an expert in the deliberate failure of government and government enforcement agencies to follow protocol.

It is his opinion that government at all levels in the United Kingdom is out of control and the people need to 'nip this in the bud' before our rich heritage and culture reach a point of no return.

He is immensely proud of the contribution of his parents, both of whom served in World War II, his Dad went to war at the age of 18 and spent five years risking his life, fighting for his country so that his future family could have a good life.

Later in life he was a Labour party community councillor in Neath, working for the community.

Dai has been successful in business for 48 years, active in sports governance and coaching for 45 years, and served in the military.

Independent – Beverley Baynham

Councillor Beverley Baynham is standing as an Independent candidate in the new Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd Constituency for the Senedd Elections.

Beverley says she would continue to lobby for a better NHS service, especially concerning cross border health care, fight for a fit for purpose NHS dental system, stand up for rural communities, look for solutions to address the social care crisis, advocate for a fairer funding formal that takes into consideration rurality and work for the residents

She describes herself as a hardworking, honest and reliable independent with a proven track record having spent the last 18 years in local politics firstly as a Community Councillor and then as a County Councillor in Powys.

She has held a number of senior roles including, Chairman of Radnorshire, Chairman of Powys County Council (twice), Cabinet Member for Corporate Governance & Regulatory Services, Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) representative and more recently Leader of the Opposition. All achieved as an Independent Councillor.

She has also served on numerous boards and committees as well as being active in the local community as a school Governor and supporting various initiatives including Presteigne becoming the first Dark Sky Community in England and Wales.

Independent – Joe Hale

Originally from South London, Joe Hale moved to Swansea more than 30 years ago to raise his family and build a better future. Since then, Swansea has become his home in every sense.

Joe is standing for the Welsh Parliament (Senedd) because Swansea East and surrounding communities deserve strong, independent representation at the national level.

He will speak up for local people, stand by the constituency, and act in the interests of the community rather than following a political party line.

His priorities are clear - protecting Kilvey Hill, defending local communities, tackling the cost of living, improving health and local services, standing up for working people and making sure Swansea East has a real voice in the Senedd

He said this is about honest representation, practical action, and putting the constituency first.