ABOUT ME
I’m available to help residents in Aberavon with education, environment, health and social services, transport, and other local issues.
ABOUT DAVID
David is a true native of Port Talbot and continues to live in the constituency. He is married to Marie, a retired superintendent radiographer at Neath Port Talbot hospital, and they have two adult daughters both of whom were educated at local Welsh medium schools.
David was educated at local infant, junior and comprehensive schools before moving on to Cardiff University where he gained an honours degree in Engineering and a post graduate teaching qualification. Upon completing his studies at University he bought a house in his home town and began a successful career in Education. He first worked as a teacher at Cynffig Comprehensive School in Kenfig Hill, then becoming a lecturer at Afan College before moving into Higher Education. Prior to becoming MS for Aberavon he was an Assistant Dean of Faculty at Swansea Metropolitan University. During this time working in Higher Education he gained a further post graduate qualification, MSc.
avid joined the local Labour Party in 1982 and has been an active member ever since. he believes in the values that the party represents and the important role it can play inn creating a fairer and stronger Wales. David has held several positions within the Labour Party and was the Constituency Labour Party secretary for Aberavon between 2005 and 2011, standing down to concentrate on the 2011 National Assembly election. He is a member of Unite and Unison, having always believed in the importance in being member of a trade union and having that collective support it offers. Throughout his working life he has been a strong advocate for good working relationships between the trade unions & government and regularly raises trade union issues in the Senedd.
Following his elections to the Senedd in 2011 and 2016, David gained the respect of his colleagues and was elected as a committee chair during both Senedd terms. In the Fourth Senedd, David chaired the Health & Social Care committee and steered several pieces of legislation through the early stages of those bills. He also temporarily chaired the Children, Young People and Education committee having previously sat on the Environment committee. In the fifth Senedd, David chaired the External Affairs & Additional Legislation Committee, which considered the impact upon Wales of the UK’s decision to leave the EU. He also sat on the Health, Social Care and Sport committee, which scrutinises government legislation and produces topical reports based on committee inquiries into health care, the committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister and on the Finance committee.
David also chaired Cross Party Groups within the Senedd on Steel, STEMM, Cancer, Nurses & Midwifery, and Mental Health. He is also a member of several other CPGs. David continues to be actively involved in campaigns to establish a sustainable, green steel industry in Wales, to improve cancer services in our NHS, and for greater recognition of the work of our fabulous NHS staff. At the same time David also strongly advocates the position Science and Technology can play in economic policy, particularly as we come out of the coronavirus pandemic period.
His other interests include Economic regeneration, child poverty, youth engagement, public services and education.
ABOUT ABERAVON
Created in 1918, the parliamentary seat of Aberavon has been held by Labour since its formation and the current MP is Dr Hywel Francis who was first elected in 2001. At the creation of the National Assembly for Wales, in 1999, the Aberavon constituency has also been represented by Labour at the Senedd with its first Assembly Member being Dr Brian Gibbons, who stood down in 2011 after representing Aberavon for 3 terms.
We have a proud industrial heritage which has shaped our history, our landscape and, on a wider scale, the steel manufactured here and the coal mined here have helped shape the world. At the heart of the great legacy of Aberavon are the people in our community: People such as, the late Richard Burton, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Mavis Nicholson, Michael Sheen and a comedian Rob Brydon, who have been at the forefront of art and entertainment. Similarly, among the distinguished previous politicians have been Labour’s first ever Prime Minister, Ramsey Macdonald (1922-29), and Sir John Morris (1959-2001) who served as Secretary of State for Wales and Attorney General. At the Assembly, Dr Gibbons (1999-2011) served as a Minister in the Welsh Government for 9 years.
The constituency is located within the eastern part of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. Whilst the area is famed for its urban and industrial heritage, it also includes many areas of great natural beauty including the historic Margam Park, the sub-Alpine Afan Valley and the historically important industrial towns of Briton Ferry, Skewen, Cwmafan and Taibach. In the Upper Afan Valley, the Afan Forest Park is developing a growing reputation for mountain biking, walking and a variety of other outdoor pursuits. It also is home to the Welsh Miners Museum. For more information on visiting Neath Port Talbot go to www.neath-porttalbot.gov.uk/tourism/
The traditional industry of steel still plays an important role in Aberavon. Tata Steel remains a major employer with a workforce of over 3,000. Most industrial activity is located at the western end of Port Talbot where the Baglan Industrial Estate and the new flagship Baglan Energy Park are located. Similarly, the development of Harbour Way promises to open up the old docklands area for reclamation and development, leading to exciting opportunities for Aberavon. The industrial reclamation work at Llandarcy, a former BP Refinery site, is already leading to new sports, leisure and business opportunities which are expected to grow over the next five to ten years. I’m delighted to say that our rugby club and football teams are some of the best in Wales. In fact, Port Talbot is the only town in Wales to boasts two League of Wales Premier sides, Port Talbot FC and Afan Lido. They are well supported by many local clubs throughout the locality. The constituency is also home to a number of boxing clubs which regularly produce a stream of Welsh internationals.
The current number of electors in the Aberavon constituency is 51,034 and Welsh is spoken by over 11% of the population. Aberavon is in the EU Convergence Funding area of West Wales and the Valleys and several of the thirteen electoral wards in the constituency are part of the National Assembly’s Communities First programme. Social and economic renewal is a major challenge throughout the constituency and one which is incredibly important to me as Assembly member for the area.
GET IN TOUCH
As your Member of the Senedd (MS), I can help constituents on various issues, such as education, the environment, health and social services, highways, transport, and housing.
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