A GWYNEDD councillor on the Llyn Peninsula has been elected as chair of a prominent political group.

Siân Hughes, 35, the Morfa Nefyn and Edern representative was elected chair of the Plaid Cymru group on Gwynedd Council at a recent meeting.

She was unanimously elected following Porthmadog Cllr Selwyn Griffiths’ decision to stand down due to personal reasons.

The Dwyfor school nurse has been a Gwynedd councillor for two and a half years.

Cllr Hughes was elected to represent the area following the departure of the then councillor, Liz Saville Roberts when she became MP.

Cllr Hughes, who is from Morfa Nefyn, said: “This is a huge privilege for me as a fairly new councillor, and I am grateful not only for the group’s support, but also for the warm welcome that has been extended to me.

“There is a close tight-knit atmosphere within Plaid Cymru’s Gwynedd team, and I look forward to working

closely with the councillors, the leader, the assembly members and the members of parliament across Gwynedd.”

Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn, Plaid Cymru’s Gwynedd leader, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cllr Selwyn Griffiths for his tireless work on behalf of the group in recent months.

“His experience and his encouragement has been second to none, and he will continue to form part of the team as he represents Porthmadog West residents.

“I am delighted to welcome Cllr Siân Hughes as the new Plaid Cymru Gwynedd group chair.

“She is a fairly new member but she is already gaining experience and knowledge across the county.

“She is a recognisable face in Pen Llyn and we are fortunate to learn from her experiences of working within the health board, of understanding more about her hard work within her Llyn community and building on her political work locally. As a team, we look forward to working with Siân during the coming months.”

Cllr Griffiths said: “I have enjoyed the honour of being chairman of the group, it was a privilege to work with a group of councillors who worked tireless for the community of Gwynedd.”