ABOUT ME
I’m available to help residents in Clwyd South with education, environment, health and social services, transport, and other local issues.
ABOUT KEN
Ken was born in 1976 at Wrexham Maelor Hospital and is one of five boys to parents Mary and Ken Snr.
He went to local comprehensive schools Ysgol y Waun and the Alun School, Mold, where he studied A-levels in Physics, Maths, English and Politics. After achieving four A grades, Ken went to Cambridge University to study social and political science, specialising in European regional policy and economics.
After graduating, Ken took time out in America before joining the Leader newspaper in his native North Wales. He studied for his NVQ in Journalism at Yale College in Wrexham (now Coleg Cambria) and also did freelance work for the Daily Express.
Ken has also served as office manager for Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami and was a community councillor in Pantymwyn, near Mold.
In May 2011, Ken was elected to the National Assembly with 42.4% of the vote in Clwyd South. His keen interests include enhancing the identity and tourism potential of Clwyd South, as well as improving mental health care and physical fitness. He is also determined to improve job and training prospects for young people, as well as protect crucial services for the vulnerable.
Having learnt Welsh at school until the age of 16, Ken remains a keen learner and is also a passionate supporter of the arts in Wales. He is a vice-president of Rhos Male Voice Choir and Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and sponsors a host of local organisations including Brymbo, Chirk and Penycae football clubs.
In 2016, Ken was re-elected as AM for Clwyd South with an increased majority. After previously serving as Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology and Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, he is now the Welsh Government’s Minister for Economy and Transport.
ABOUT CLWYD SOUTH
Clwyd South lies entirely within the old county of Clwyd in North-East Wales, with around two-thirds in Wrexham county borough and the remainder in Denbighshire.
The constituency has a population of approximately 70,000 and stretches north-south from Brymbo, where one of the region’s biggest steelworks once stood, to Chirk and east-west from Bronington near the Shropshire border to Llandrillo, making it one of Wales’s largest in terms of area.
Other major towns and communities in Clwyd South include Cefn Mawr, Coedpoeth, Corwen, Johnstown, Llangollen, Rhosllanerchrugog – home to The Stiwt theatre – and Ruabon. Two beautiful valleys, the Dee and Ceiriog, cut through the constituency and provide rich veins of tourism potential. The latter was where the Battle of Crogen took place in 1165, which saw King Henry II’s army forced to retreat by brave Welsh soldiers.
The tourism sector is particularly key for Clwyd South. Farming is also an important industry and the public sector is a big employer, while there remain high levels of manufacturing jobs. Major companies include Europe’s leading trailer maker Ifor Williams in Cynwyd, wood panel manufacturer Kronospan in Chirk and Minera-based Village Bakery. Llangollen is also home to the world famous International Musical Eisteddfod and the recently-restored railway line to Corwen. The constituency also contains Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse.
Clwyd South also boasts two National Trust sites at Chirk Castle and Erdigg Hall, as well as the 200-year-old Pontcysyllte Aqueduct – the first transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site which stretches for 11 magical miles through some of the most important industrial heritage in the world.
The Stiwt is a prominent venue for Welsh language arts, and communities such as Glyn Ceiriog and Corwen continue to offer a strong cultural identity.
Clwyd South offers a bit of everything – and has much to celebrate.
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.
Please use the contact form to get in touch with me. Please remember to provide as many details as possible, including your name, address and full details of your issue.
I also hold face-to-face and online surgeries using Zoom/Microsoft Teams. At each session, I’ll be available to help with local issues. Click here to book an appointment.