Meet the Montgomeryshire candidates as the fight for the Senedd enters its last week

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

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

Voters in Montgomeryshire will be part of the Gwynedd Maldwyn constituency which combines the Montgomeryshire Glyndwr and Dwyfor Meirionnydd parliamentary constituencies.

This will see them combined with voters from Gwynedd, parts of Wrexham and Denbighshire.

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 in the Gwynedd Maldwyn constituency were asked to tell you about themselves and their policies.

The candidates

Welsh Conservatives – Aled Davies

Aled Wyn Davies has deep roots in Montgomeryshire, born on the family farm which he now runs with the help of his wife and four children.

Aled is a first language speaker, educated at Llanfyllin High School and Bangor University.

Aled was first elected in 2008 to Powys County Council and continues to serve the Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant – Llansilin Ward, he is the Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group.

Aled has a strong record of delivering public services in Powys.

As a councillor he has fought for better standards in education and increasing the opportunities for both Welsh and English medium pupils. He has battled hard for better access to public services for the population of rural Mid Wales, such as protecting services at Bronglais hospital, cross border health care, GP services and trying to maintain the Welsh Air Ambulance bases in Welshpool and Dinas Dinlle.

Aled will continue to try and protect the Welsh landscape from the aggressive wind farm developers, his top priorities include growing the rural economy across Gwynedd Maldwyn and to ensure that Welsh family farms thrive.

Green Party – Nathan Jarvis

I moved to Wales with my family 10 years ago.

I worked for the Church in Wales for three years as chaplain to the University of Bangor and ran the Foodbank at the Cathedral.

I've worked for a dementia charity and a disability charity since, and have recently finished my work as a CEO for a small health charity. I also have a Sunday ministry in a church in Cheshire.

I am fiercely passionate about improving outcomes for Wale's young people, securing more funding and tying in quality provision in a more holistic and meaningful way.

I want to bring hope and optimism as a Senedd MS and a practical, joined up collaborative plan for towns like ours which can bring growth, prosperity and new life into our communities.

The environment, conservation and Welsh ecology is really important to me. Finding solutions which work with farmers and other food producers in practical and wildlife friendly ways is a top priority.

I've been learning Welsh. I can never be Welsh, but I can work hard for what has become our adopted home and make sure that I give back to the community which welcomed us all so openly.

Gwlad - Jeremy Davies

I’m a retired engineer and community councillor from Borth‑y‑Gest, with over 30 years’ experience in planning and delivering complex infrastructure while working with the public.

After completing an engineering apprenticeship with Rolls‑Royce, I built a career with BT Openreach, serving as a planning officer, network designer and customer service manager.

I’m standing on a simple principle: Wales can’t be politically independent if it remains economically dependent, and it can’t build a fair, strong future if the energy we generate is mainly exported for the benefit of others.

I oppose the industrial overhead pylon route and inland wind farms that would turn central Wales into an energy corridor for England.

Instead, I support an offshore energy system with submarine cables linking Connah’s Quay, Wylfa and Pembroke – offshore wind, tidal and modern nuclear at suitable coastal sites that keep value in Wales. This can create thousands of skilled, well‑paid jobs in Welsh ports, engineering firms and supply chains, keeping value in Wales and helping to fund our public services.

I’m standing to represent the values, the communities and the land that I call home.

Heritage Party – Mattie Ginsberg

I am delighted to be standing for the Heritage Party in Gwynedd Maldwyn.

The Heritage Party stands for simple, common-sense values and principles that will restore purpose and prosperity to our nation.

We have a great heritage that has been given to us by our forefathers for us to enjoy and pass on to future generations.

Our core principles are free speech and liberty, national sovereignty, low immigration, self-sufficiency in skills and energy, traditional family values and financial responsibility in government.

We reject the woke ideologies of critical race theory, 100 genders and climate alarmism. Instead, we hold that Britain is a good country, there are two sexes – male and female – determined by anatomy and chromosomes, and we should not replace coal and gas power stations with wind turbines and solar panels that are causing household energy bills to go through the roof.

Our headline policies for the Senedd are defend our culture and heritage, stop Comprehensive Sexuality Education, restore parents as children’s primary educators, self-sufficiency in energy – End net zero, protect our farmland and countryside and no to wind turbines, solar panel arrays, BESS and pylons.

Labour – Ian Parry

Ian Parry grew up with limited means, raised by a single mother who lived on benefits.

Passionate about his local community, Ian is chair of his local Community Council and served as part of the successful campaign team that saw Steve Witherden elected as the first ever Labour MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr.

Ian now works as senior caseworker for Steve Witherden MP.

A committed activist within his local Labour party, Ian is a history enthusiast, who in his spare time makes history videos with a sizable following on TikTok.

Liberal Democrats – Glyn Preston

Councillor Glyn Preston currently represents Llanidloes on Powys County Council, also serving on the cabinet as the member responsible for economic development.

He is also a board member of Theatr Hafren and of Llanidloes Futures Project, a local charity dedicated to increasing the uptake of Solar PV.

Glyn grew up in Llandinam and attended Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd in Newtown before going on to study in the Welsh language stream of Ysgol Uwchradd Llanidloes. He moved back to Montgomeryshire after finishing his degree at the University of Birmingham.

Glyn's priorities are: tackling the healthcare emergency, including poor levels of service at Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals and discriminatory new waiting lists policy for Powys patients; fighting for more economic investment and job opportunities in rural Wales in order to help young people stay in the county; protecting the health of the River Severn and protecting the area's world-class natural environment; and ensuring local farmers aren't sold down the river in the name of cheap trade deals and that they get the best possible deal from Welsh Government.

Plaid Cymru – Sian Gwenllian

Siân Gwenllian is an experienced and respected Member of the Senedd.

She has represented Arfon for the past 10 years, receiving 63.3 per cent of the vote in 2021 - the highest share for any candidate in Wales.

She currently holds Plaid Cymru’s Housing and Planning portfolio, and from 2021–2024 she served as Lead Designated Member in the Co-operation Agreement, helping deliver policies including free school meals for all primary pupils, expanded free childcare, and housing reforms.

She also successfully campaigned for a new medical school in Bangor and continues to campaign for the establishment of a dental school in mid and north Wales.

Born in Dolgellau, raised in Y Felinheli, her family roots are in Llŷn.

She studied at Aberystwyth and Cardiff universities and worked as a journalist before being elected community and then county councillor for her home village.

Her husband was from Penygroes but sadly died of cancer in 1999. Sian raised four young children on her own.

Reform UK – Andrew Griffin

Andrew Griffin is Reform UK’s lead candidate for Gwynedd Maldwyn and a town councillor in Llanfyllin, where he lives and serves his local community.

He has spent more than 30 years volunteering in the Cadet Forces, including in a senior leadership role with responsibility for around 2,000 cadets and adult volunteers.

Over that time, he has worked closely with young people and volunteers across the region, including through the challenges of the Covid period.

Alongside this, Andrew has built a career in administration, operations and data management across both the public and private sectors.

He has worked with NHS employers and in prison education, helping to deliver programmes, manage performance, and keep complex services running effectively.

He is standing to bring practical experience, a strong sense of service, and a fresh perspective to Welsh politics.

Independent – Monty Kennard

I’m standing as an Independent candidate for Gwynedd Maldwyn because I believe politics should begin with listening, properly listening, to people and communities.

I’m not a career politician. I live here, I understand small-town life, and I see the pressures people are under, from access to healthcare and services to housing, transport, and the cost of living.

I believe representatives should answer to the people they serve, not party leadership. Academically, I hold a degree in Economics, Politics and International Relations from Oxford Brookes University.

I trained as a teacher in Shropshire and went on to work in a primary school in Wrexham, and later completed an MSc in Computer Science.

My research has focused on how technology can improve education, something I continue to explore through my involvement with the Wales Collaborative for Learning Design (WCLD) and the Centre for International Research on Interactive Technologies in Teaching and Learning (CIRITTL).

My priorities are education, NHS, rural Wales, housing and community stability and cost of living, energy and digital access.

At heart, my approach is simple: listen carefully, ask questions, challenge what isn’t working, and make sure local voices are heard where decisions are made.

Independent – Russell George

After 15 years representing Montgomeryshire in the Senedd, I’m standing again on May 7, this time for the new Gwynedd Maldwyn constituency as an independent candidate.

It has been a real privilege to serve the area where I was born and have always lived.

I bring experience from my time in the Senedd, including serving as chair of the Health and Social Care Committee.

My focus remains on improving our health services, alongside campaigning for better public services, transport, and infrastructure across our communities.

Powys patients are facing longer waits for treatment in English hospitals due to Welsh Government budget limits. That is unacceptable.

I have repeatedly raised this in the Senedd, pushing for fair funding and accurate reporting of waiting times. This remains a top priority for me.

The proposed closure of the Caernarfon and Welshpool air ambulance bases also risks lives.

I have supported legal action and forced a Senedd vote on this issue, and I will continue working to ensure no base closes until all promised resources are fully in place.

With no party likely to secure a majority, co-operation will be essential. If elected, I will use my vote to secure the best possible outcomes for our area.

I also oppose the expansion of the Senedd, as the £18 million annual cost would be far better spent on frontline priorities, particularly healthcare.