Three councillors have put their names forward to become Plaid Cymru’s next candidate to represent Dwyfor Meirionnydd at the Senedd.

Two Porthmadog councillors and the grandson of Plaid Cymru’s first ever MP have put their names forward for the candidacy in the 2021 Welsh Assembly elections.

Cllr Simon Brooks sits on Porthmadog town council and Cllr Nia Jeffreys is a county councillor for Porthmadog, while Cllr Mabon ap Gwynfor currently represents Llandrillo ward in the old county of Meirionnydd on Denbighshire County Council.

Plaid Cymru has a vacancy for a candidate in the 2021 Assembly elections after party stalwart Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, who has held the seat since the Assembly’s inception in 1999, decided to leave Plaid Cymru and act as an independent in the Senedd. He currently holds a ministerial role for the Welsh Government.

Cllr ap Gwynfor, whose grandfather Gwynfor Evans became Plaid’s first MP in 1966, said: “Dwyfor Meirionnydd has vast wealth in terms of its cultural impact and natural resources. However, the economic policies of both London and Cardiff have focused entirely on developing the infrastructure and wealth of those areas, while neglecting rural north Wales.

“Those decades of neglect have led to a constant flow of our young people moving out of these communities to find jobs and other opportunities. It doesn’t have to be this way.

“Dwyfor-Meirionnydd’s greatest asset is the people who live here. They have fought back against a centralised system that’s deserted the region, and they’re building their communities from the bottom up."

Cllr Brooks also staked his claim, saying: “I’m standing for the Dwyfor Meirionnydd nomination because I believe Gwynedd has been let down by devolution under Labour and only a Plaid Cymru government can change this.

“I live in Borth-y-Gest, where I’m a councillor, and last year I was chair of Porthmadog Town Council. My roots are deep in the constituency.

“I’m an academic. I’ve written a book about how understanding Welsh history can set out a route to independence, and also written about protecting the future of Welsh-speaking communities."

Cllr Jeffreys made her case for the candidacy by saying: “People in Dwyfor Meirionnydd need a strong voice in Cardiff and I would be proud to be that strong voice.

“I grew up in Dwyfor Meirionnydd so I know for myself the problems we face. We need high-quality jobs, affordable housing and the best education system for all ages.

“I celebrate the Welsh language and will work tirelessly not just to protect it, but to positively promote its positive benefits to Wales.

“I am rooted here. My children go to local schools, my parents live here; I have family, friends and colleagues from Bala to Blaenau, from Pwllheli to Penrhyn."

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