Delyth Jewell

Candidate for Caerphilly constituency and South Wales East region (no. 1)

Tell us about yourself

I was born in the Miners' Hospital in Caerphilly, grew up in Ystrad Mynach and went to school in Bargoed. I am fiercely proud of being from this area, and it's been an honour to represent my home region in the Senedd.

After graduating from Oxford, I worked as a researcher and speech writer in Westminster, where I was awarded the prize of 'Overall Researcher of the Year' in 2014 for my work that helped bring in new laws on stalking and coercive control.

I moved back to Wales in 2015 and worked for Citizens Advice, where I saw first-hand the catastrophic impact that cruel policies like austerity have on people's lives. It gave me a burning desire to fight to change this and things and to help improve the lives of the people living in our communities.

What is the most important thing you think the Senedd should do in the next five years?

Tackle the poverty that blights too many people's lives. It is a disgrace that a third of Welsh children are living in poverty - and not all of them even qualify for free school meals. The next Welsh Government must commit to policies that would eradicate child poverty and improve the life chances of our most precious resource - that is, our young people.

What will you do for Caerphilly / South Wales East if elected?

If I'm elected to return to the Senedd, I will continue to champion the needs of our communities, including fighting for investment in our valley towns that have been neglected for so long, seeking out opportunities for young people to be given a voice in decision making (after all, it's their future), and securing more resources to deal with the health and care needs of our people.

I want to see increased counselling support for children who've had to deal with untold stress during the lockdown period, and for mental health hubs to be placed in every town centre.