Gwenda Thomas (born 22 January 1942 in
Neath
Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...
) is a
Welsh Labour
Welsh Labour (), formerly known as the Labour Party in Wales (), is an autonomous section of the United Kingdom Labour Party (UK), Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears have won a p ...
politician who served as
Member of the Welsh Assembly for
Neath
Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...
from the Assembly's start in 1999 to 2016. Thomas was first elected to the
National Assembly for Wales in 1999 and re-elected in 2003, having almost doubled her majority.
Background
Thomas was educated at Pontardawe Grammar School, she lives in
Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. Thomas was married to her late husband Morgan (1939-2013) for nearly 50 years, and they have one son, Geraint and a granddaughter, Charlotte.
She is a fluent
Welsh speaker. She is a member of the
GMB Union. She worked in the County Courts Division of the Lord Chancellor's Department and at the Benefits Agency as an executive officer for many years.
On 10 January 2017 she received an honorary doctorate from
Swansea University.
Mrs Thomas is a campaigner for carers' rights and a past member of the
Lord Chancellor
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
's advisory committee. Her interests include health, social services, children's issues, local government and the voluntary sector.
Political Career
Local Government
Mrs Thomas served on West Glamorgan County Council as chair of the Social Services Committee - the first female councillor to chair such a major committee. She later served in the same position on
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council following local government reorganisation in 1995.
National Assembly for Wales
Thomas was selected to contest the
Neath
Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...
constituency for the new National Assembly for Wales in January of 1999. She was elected in the
first Welsh Assembly elections later that year with a majority of 2,618 votes, with Plaid Cymru significantly outperforming prior Westminster election results to limit her majority to that. She was re-elected again at the
2003 elections with a majority of 4,946,
2007 elections with a reduced majority of 1,944 and
2011 elections with her largest majority of 6,390. In 2016, she stood down from the role, and
Jeremy Miles was selected to replace her as AM for Neath.
Thomas chaired the First Assembly's Local Government and Housing committee. In the second assembly, she chaired the Equality of Opportunity Committee and sat on the Assembly's Standards Committee. She was also appointed in December 2003 by the
First Minister Rhodri Morgan, to chair a review into safeguarding vulnerable children in Wales. The review's report - ''Keeping Us Safe'' - was published on 3 May 2006.
Shortly after being re-elected to the Third Assembly, she was appointed as a Deputy Minister under the
Minister for Health and Social Services, with responsibility for Social Services. She retained the role of Deputy Minister for Social Services after the
coalition between Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru was formed a month later, and when
Rhodri Morgan was replaced as First Minister by
Carwyn Jones.
In the Fourth Assembly, she held the position of
Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services, with her responsibilities amongst others being childcare, child trust funds and parenting programmes. She was removed from the cabinet in a September 2014 reshuffle.
In 2015, Thomas confirmed that she was intending to stand down at the
2016 Welsh Assembly election.
Jeremy Miles was selected to replace her and contest the Neath constituency in October 2015.
External links
Welsh Labour Party WebsiteWebsite of the Welsh Assembly Government
Offices held
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Gwenda
1942 births
Living people
Councillors in Wales
Welsh Labour members of the Senedd
Female members of the Senedd
People from Neath
Wales AMs 1999–2003
Wales AMs 2003–2007
Wales AMs 2007–2011
Wales AMs 2011–2016
Members of the Welsh Government
20th-century British women politicians
Women members of the Welsh Government
Women councillors in Wales
Civil servants in the Lord Chancellor's Department