Introductions!
Hi, I’m Ceri Davies, a 45-year-old husband and rapidly graying father of two young daughters living in Central Cardiff where my family home has been for the past 11 years.
I first moved to the city from Hay, in Mid Wales, at 18 to study at Cardiff University, resulting in a BA(Hons) in History and Welsh History. I have continued my education at Cardiff University and also possess a Master’s in Public Administration.
My career since University has primarily been within Welsh Government where I deliberately chose to work across many policy areas, primarily in economic development, regeneration, and environmental areas where I led on numerous policy issues but notably led the Local Environment team delivering the iconic 5p Carrier bag charge for Wales. Other notable areas I worked on delivering include CAP Modulation, WDA integration, rail franchise devolution, the Climate Change Commission, Green Jobs Strategy, Vibrant and Viable Places Strategy amongst other areas across a variety of portfolios.
In recent years my career has changed as I have looked for new opportunities and challenges. I have worked for the Community Benefit Society Indycube, a provider of coworking spaces and services for the freelance community, leading for Policy and Public Affairs at the Canal and River Trust in Wales as well as trying to establish a business of my own. I have also worked for the UK Government at Companies House and at Defra and am currently contracted to RICS.
In my spare time, I volunteer extensively, and have board level experience with Keep Wales Tidy. The Sherman Theatre and recently Repair Café Wales. I have also spent several years working to support Cardiff Community Energy in developing renewable schemes across Cardiff.
I am standing as I am a strong believer in social justice and creating a world that is increasingly improved for our children and its inhabitants. I believe that the mainstream parties have not delivered in devolution and that there is an increasing appetite for change amongst the public.
The Green movement and approach to politics has long been embedded in Europe where consensual coalition politics is the norm, and I believe there is an opportunity for the Green party to build on recent success and the disenfranchisement many people feel, and the radical history of industrial Wales suggests that the country can be and should be at the forefront of that change. The radical Labour party that emerged from our industrial towns 100 years or so ago may have led to huge strides in improving peoples lives, but a new revolution is needed to continue these improvements that have long stalled.
What can I bring?
I am standing for a party that, while it has policies and ideas for Government, policies we need, is unlikely on May 7th to form part of the next administration. Few of those elected will and it is what those elected representatives are charged to do that is so important and often so overlooked in election campaigns. The ability to represent, to advocate for, to campaign on behalf of are the true qualities that those we elect need to possess, and while I would like to put Green policy ideas into action, I believe I have the strengths, knowledge and experience that are needed to represent my constituency.
While I wish to represent my party, I also wish to represent the community I live in that is home. I possess undergraduate and post graduate degrees from Cardiff University, and I have the experience of working in the pubic, private and third sector, including within the Civil Service in Welsh Government. I believe this background, including my academic studies will provide me with the knowledge and competence to meaningfully scrutinise and hold the government to account and where possible push for party influence.
I have held representative roles in other areas of my life from a Union representative, Union branch chair and a leading officer of a membership organisation and I want to use these experiences to represent those in my community that need some one to speak on their behalf, to advocate for them and to bring answers to their question and solutions to their problems without fear or favour of party support.
I wish to use the existing machinery of the Senedd to its full effect in how we look at what the Government undertakes. I want to participate fully in the opportunities being an elected representative will provide in Plenary, Committees and Cross-Party Groups to draw out all that I can for my constituency to ensure they are well served by the administration that is returned.
I recognise the issues and problems within my constituency and wider wales and want to use my experience and knowledge from over two decades of policy development and delivery to bring a level of understanding and scrutiny to the process that is at times somewhat lacking.
I have spent much of my working life in apolitical roles, and I am comfortable working with a broad spectrum of people to achieve meaningful change in areas that we desperately need in Wales. Few parties in Wales can do that and much of devolution has been marred by party political fighting that has not delivered for our communities. I and the Wales Green Party can offer a new politics, our democracy is strengthened by candidates whose allegiance is to their constituents and to shared values, who vote their conscience and are free to give their honest opinions, only the Wales Green Party allows that.
We need to work smarter if we are to address the challenges Wales faces, and that will take new parties, new voices, and new ideas.
Ceri's Election Blog 
