Plaid Cymru has announced its candidate for the by-election in the New Tredegar ward of Caerphilly County Borough.
Gill Jones who has a daughter and two grand-daughters, works as an administrator at a Bargoed care home, something she has done for the last nine years.
A member of the Bargoed Community Centre Committee, Gill lived in Brithdir for eight years and still has close links with the area.
Gill is a former member of Caerphilly County Borough Council, serving as vice chair of housing and vice chair of social services committees and maintains a close interest in both subjects.
A trustee at the charity, Young at Hearts, a drop-in centre for the elderly in Bargoed and a governor at the Welsh medium school in Gilfach, Gill said: “I would love the opportunity to represent the people of New Tredegar during these very difficult times. I can promise residents that I would be a champion for the ward willing to speak out at every opportunity on issues of concern.
“I am seriously concerned about the welfare cuts imposed by the UK Coalition Government and the failure of the Welsh Labour Government to defend Wales, particularly as they promised to stand up for Wales in the recent election. The SNP government in Scotland is protecting people from these cuts.”
The by-election is taking place on October 25.
Good to see Plaid Cymru fielding a local candidate in New Tredeger (sic)
Good also to see the Plaid Cymru party supporting Ex-Councillors who have already been rejected in the ballot box by the citizens of the Borough.
Gill Jones is clearly a professional and caring person, she has credentials to be very proud and, is quite right in highlighting those attributes at every opportunity, but, it is a fact that as a result of her particular brand of politics, she has been rejected as an elected Councillor, I would like to know what has changed in her particular political brand that should convince the electorate to support her now??? particularly as her Party, Plaid Cymru, were so convincingly rejected by the people of Caerphilly at the recent election. The only thing that appears to have changed in that party is that it has appointed a new local leader, and who`s that? anyone know????
What a strange notion, are you suggesting that no party should offer a losing candidate at any future elections? I am not aware of any party doing this. Can you give examples of parties with this policy?
Helen, read my comments, at no time did I suggest a failed, rejected, `also ran` incumbent loosing candidate should not put themselves forward again for reconsideration by the electorate, did I ?
What I did ask, was, what has changed in the `substance` of the political credentials of a particular, expounded, ` Political` candidate to convince the good citizens of New Tredegar that the candidate has anything to offer other than policies which have been so recently, roundly, rejected by the citizens of the Borough. A simple question to ask of anyone who seeks public office.
What are the Labour party frightened of?
Does Colin, who? Think the Labour Party are ` frightened` of something?
What could that be? it can`t be because they fear loosing the election, because in such an event, they would only retain a majority of 29 seats on the Council, nothing to worry them there then.
Could it be that a win for Plaid Cymru in the Council would increase their collective I Q to something which should ` frighten` the current Labour Administration?. Na, not really.
Could be the fact that to win this by election it would be seen as the start of Plaids fight back under their new dynamic party leader on the Caerphilly Council, someone please please tell us who that is and we can all rejoice in the prospect.
The only candidate that lives in the area is Eluned Stenner who is nominated by the Welsh Labour Party. Eluned is the wife of Clive Stenner and has a daughter called Rebecca. Eluned is also the daughter of the previous seat holder Les Rees, who suddenly passed away in July 2012, who has lived in the ward all her life. The conservative candidate is from Caerphilly and the Plaid candidate is from Bargoed. The Bargoed ward, for which Jill Jones was a councillor, was voted against the Plaid Cymru party and elected all Welsh Labour Candidates. The Bargoed ward saw that Welsh Labour was the only way forward. On a recent news letter to the New Tredegar ward, Plaid Cymru took the spotlight and said that White Rose Primary School had been down to them. Although the truth is widely known throughout the ward without the time and the effort that Councillor Gerald Jones and the late Councillor Les Rees set aside to make sure that the funding available was put to a good cause to benefit the community. However noted in the newsletter is closure of community centres, this is not down to Labour this is because of funding that Plaid Cymru stopped so it could go to other areas throughout the borough. Labour is strongly supported throughout the Ward and Community. If Community Councillor Eluned Stenner does half the good that her father did, then the ward will continue to reap the benefits for many years to come.