A local man who, like many, has become disillusioned with political parties of all shapes and hues, will be standing as an independent in the forthcoming Senedd elections.

Owen Davies is a bookseller, writer, disability rights campaigner, and support worker from Abergavenny. He now hopes to add MS to his CV. Not because he’s a political careerist, but because he believes if you want real change, sometimes you have to fight for it.

“I thought long and hard about running for the May elections,” explained Owen. “It’s not something I particularly wanted to do, but having realised there was no one else standing for the concerns that I and many others feel need addressing, I decided to throw my hat in the ring.

“You can moan in perpetuity about the current state of affairs, or you can decide try and make a difference yourself and get things done.”

“Getting things done” is something Owen has plenty of experience in. He played a leading role in campaigning for the opening of the Tudor Day Centre and has long been a proactive voice for the most vulnerable and marginalised in society.

Owen said, The term ‘vulnerable’ covers many people, such as those with disabilities, mental health struggles, the homeless, financial difficulties, LGBTQ+ identities, and so on.

“We can all end up being vulnerable in some form, so it’s essential that services cater to these individuals and prioritise their protection. My campaign is focussed primarily on the most vulnerable up, not on the least vulnerable down. If you’re someone who often doesn’t feel listened to, my campaign is for you.”

An integral part of Owen’s manifesto is protecting public services. He

explained, “Vital services that people rely on, like day centres, libraries, banks, and hospitals, have either closed or vastly reduced the quality of their service because of cuts from central Government.

I don’t want these services cut; I want to fund them. I also want them to be run properly.

“If elected as an MS, I will dedicate all my time in the Welsh Parliament to fighting for these services to be funded and managed properly so that no one is left out in the cold.”

Above all, Owen stresses he is standing for community,

“For our community to thrive, we need to fund and manage better public services. There is some amazing work being done, but we need to make sure it’s happening everywhere in our community.” He said.

“As a former support worker, I’ve seen firsthand how much the quality of these projects can decline if not looked after properly.

“Vital necessities such as our health and social care services, dentistry, food, home, and culture need to be pushed on our high streets. I commit to fighting for all of these schemes in the Senedd.”

Owen added, “I am completely independent, so there will be no party politics or sleazy backroom deals. You have my word that if I become your MS, I will put every working hour into serving only my constituents, from the most vulnerable upwards.”