People living in the north and east of Cardiff, and surrounding villages, will be electing six Senedd members from the new Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf constituency on May 7, 2026.
You’ll find all the details here of the candidates standing in the new Senedd constituency, which combines the Westminster constituencies of Cardiff East and Cardiff North and includes the north of the capital city. The constituency also includes Taff’s Well and Nantgarw.
The changes to the constituency boundary are as a result of major changes to devolved elections in Wales. As well the changes to constituencies, the voting system is changing, as is the number of politicians who will be elected.
Constituency map
The candidates
Like all 16 of the new super-constituencies for Senedd elections, Caerdydd Fynnon Taf will have six Senedd Members after May’s election.
People will vote for a party and the successful candidates will be chosen by a system of proportional representation using the votes in the constituency. If a party was to win all the votes in an area, it would be allocated all six seats. However it’s more likely that the seats will be split between several parties.
Political parties have published lists of up to eight candidates for each constituency and if a party wins one seat in a constituency, the name at the top of their list will be elected. If a party wins two seats in a constituency, the top two names on their list will be elected, and so on. Independent candidates can also stand. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
We have asked all parties to provide a list of all their candidates, and biographies of their top four candidates. The list will be updated with any outstanding details once provided. You’ll find all the names and details of the candidates below:
Conservatives
- Joel James
- Samantha Chohan
- Joe Roberts
- Ffin Elliott
- Lyn Hudson
- Jane Lucas
Heritage Party
Nikki Brooke
Green Party
- Paul Rock
- Charlotte Husnjak
- Laurie Gray
- Jenny Mears
- Robyn Thomas
- David Fitzpatrick
Independents
Lawrence Gwynn
Labour
- Shavanah Taj
- Jackie Jones
- Dan De’Ath
- Sarah Merry
- Jen Burke
- Lee Bridgeman
- Matthew Hexter
- Bernie Bowen-Thomson
Shavanah Taj
Shavanah Taj is General Secretary of TUC Cymru and a proud daughter of a Welsh Pakistani steelworker and small business owner. A 2002 graduate of the TUC Organising Academy, she’s led in the PCS Union as an industrial officer and national organiser.
Shav champions fair work, digital transformation, and ethical AI, ensuring workers shape the future of work through social partnership, not get left behind. Her leadership is rooted in Labour values, lived experience, and a bold vision for equality and innovation.
Jackie Jones
Jackie Jones has been a Cardiff councillor for Whitchurch and Tongwynlais since 2022. She has a wealth of academic experience, and was a Professor of Law in social justice. She was a Member of the European Parliament for Wales until 2020.
Jackie stood as the candidate for Preseli Pembrokeshire in the 2021 Senedd race, Ceredigion Preseli in the 2024 General Election, and has worked for three Senedd members (Eluned Morgan, Sarah Murphy and Jenny Rathbone). She is currently an advisor to Jane Hutt MS on social justice.
Dan De’Ath
Dan De’Ath is a Cardiff councillor with a strong record of delivery. He has worked across frontline services and supported vulnerable people—experiences that have shaped his deep commitment to justice and equality. He is currently Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport, leading projects ranging from solar farms and a district heat network to active travel schemes and Cardiff Crossrail. Dan made history as Cardiff’s first Black Lord Mayor and was named a Changemaker by the Future Generations Commissioner.
Sarah Merry
Sarah Merry has served as a Cardiff councillor for Cathays since 2012, as well as serving as a councillor in the 90s. She currently is deputy leader of Cardiff Council and is cabinet member for education. Through her work in the education portfolio, Sarah has been responsible for leading the council on its forward-thinking
Liberal Democrats
- Rodney Berman
- Joe Carter
- Julie Goodfellow
- Jon Shimmin
- Imran Latif
- Rosemary Chaloner
Rodney Berman
Rodney Berman is a Cardiff councillor in Penylan and served as Leader of Cardiff Council for eight years between 2004 and 2012, during which he oversaw a massive increase in the recycling rate and the money given to schools. He is proud to have been awarded an OBE for his services to local government and the community in Cardiff in 2013. He currently leads the Liberal Democrat Group on Cardiff Council.
Rodney has lived in Cardiff for most of his life after taking up a research role at the university in the early 90s.
Currently working in health policy, Rodney represented the interests of doctors during Covid-19, and currently helps them influence Welsh health policy and fight for improved terms and conditions of service. He is passionate about reducing health inequalities.
Joe Carter
Joe Carter has been a councillor in Cardiff since 2004, representing the community of Pentwyn and Llanedeyrn. He is deputy leader of the opposition Lib Dem council group and the finance spokesperson. He is passionate about the environment, transport and housing, opposing Labour’s controversial split recycling system which has increased litter, calling for more investment in buses, and supporting local residents to be housed. He is a keen cyclist and former chair of Cardiff Bus.
Julie Goodfellow
Julie moved to Wales in 1997 and has lived and worked here for nearly three decades. She began her career in the NHS in primary care, developing a strong commitment to tackling health inequalities, alongside a background in ICT and small business.
Julie later ran successful businesses in web design, importing, and consultancy, working with the NHS, local government and the finance sector on improving services and value for money. She holds an MSc in Lean Operations, with expertise in redesigning services to work better for the people who rely on them.
An active community leader, Julie chaired the Abergavenny & District Partnership Against Crime, went on to lead Neighbourhood Watch in Gwent and Wales, and worked with the Home Office at a national level. Now based in Cardiff, she is an active campaigner, driven by a passion for reducing health inequalities and preventing crime.
Plaid Cymru
- Dafydd Trystan Davies
- Zaynub Akbar
- Nick Carter
- Andrea Gibson
- Joseph Gnagbo
- Morgan Rogers
Dafydd Trystan
Dafydd has over a quarter of a century of experience working on behalf of the community in Cardiff and beyond. He served as Chair of a successful Primary School; a lecturer in Welsh politics and economics; Registrar in Higher and Further Education; Chair of Gabalfa’s Cardiff Cycle Workshop (bike recycling and training); director of award-winning social enterprise TooGoodToWaste; Sport Wales board member and Chair of the Capital Investment Panel; guide volunteer with visually impaired runners; a Run Leader and regular volunteer supporting running events; one of the people who helped set up the Roath farmers’ market; and was recognised as one of 10 covid volunteer ‘heroes’ in Cardiff. Put simply, he has the experience, vision and skills to deliver improvements to people’s lives across Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf.
Zaynub Akbar
Zaynub’s passion for social justice is rooted in the adversity she faced growing up in Cardiff. It is a driving force behind her decision to stand; to ensure no more families continue to fall through cracks that should never have existed to begin with.
A determined young woman, she went on to represent both Wales and Great Britain in Gymnastics on the international stage, with achievements including Welsh Champion, British Champion and Youth Olympic Games Finalist.
Zaynub’s professional work includes investigating inadequate housing, advocating for active lifestyles and championing sustainable development. More recently, Zaynub was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Design Commission for Wales, where she promotes a built environment that supports inclusive and accessible infrastructure to encourage healthier communities. She consistently places a focus on the importance of the long-term impact of our actions – protecting the planet for both current and future generations.
Zaynub believes politics must work for the people it’s meant to serve – all people. That means having a diverse mix of lived experiences and backgrounds in the rooms where decisions are made.
Andrea Gibson
Born in Cardiff, I grew up as the youngest of five children on a council estate. Fifteen years ago, I returned to live in the same community that shaped me and continues to mean so much to me.
For over 20 years I have worked in mental health and social care services, supporting vulnerable people and advocating for those who often struggle to be heard. I also trained as a hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, and studied law and politics at Cardiff University. Alongside my career, I have devoted much of my time to family.
In 2019, I was elected as a Cardiff Councillor, achieving a historic win in Ely by taking what had long been considered a safe Labour seat. In 2022, I was re-elected to represent the Pentyrch and St. Fagans ward. I believe strongly in fairness, social justice and standing up for the communities I serve.
Nick Carter
Nick has lived in Cardiff over 25 years and is married with two teenage children.
He is a commercial property consultant who qualified as a chartered surveyor in 1994 and co-founded his own surveying business in Cardiff in 2006, specialising in town centre retail property across Wales.
Having worked in the private sector throughout his career, he has a particular focus on supporting local small businesses and promoting the high street.
He learned Spanish and Welsh as an adult and completed an MSc in Welsh Politics and Government at Cardiff University.
He is standing because he is ashamed that over 30% of Welsh children live in poverty and frustrated by the relative decline in prosperity and wellbeing experienced over the last 26 years. Insufficient action has been taken to deal with urgent issues in healthcare, housing, poverty and climate change and May’s election represents our opportunity to change Wales.
Propel
Keith Parry
Roy Leyshon
Reform UK
- Cai Parry-Jones
- David Parsons
- Aaeron Giboney
- Kenzie Hollingsworth Evans
- Jeffrey Armstrong
- Valerie Cousins
Welsh Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
- John Williams
- Helen Perriam
- Dave Bartlett
John Williams
A young hospitality worker, LGBT+ activist, Socialist Party member, and chair of the Cardiff general branch of Unite the union.
He said: “Lots of people in my industry think that politics isn’t for them, that the establishment parties aren’t offering anything different to help with our living conditions. But we need people like us in the Senedd, elected to fight for our class.
“Look at the campaign for hospitality workers to keep all their tips – it’s disgraceful that the UK Labour government retreated on that.
He is currently campaigning to use the Tourist Tax in Cardiff to get hospitality workers home safely, and says he is proud of his work on equality and inclusion, including trade union solidarity with Trans Day of Remembrance and Trans Pride.
Helen Perriam
A nurse at Llandough Hospital, working with older people with severe mental health issues. She is a Unison member and trade union campaigner. Helen says she has seen first hand what Labour and Tory cuts and privatisation have done to the NHS and will stand up in the Senedd to fight every cut and speak up passionately for more resources to allow nurses and health workers to provide the services we need.
Dave Bartlett
A trade union rep for over 25 years and led the campaign that kept open health facilities at Cardiff Royal Infirmary but he thinks campaigning isn’t enough, and that a voice for the working class in the Senedd.
Dave is secretary of Cardiff Trades Union Council, which represents all unions in Cardiff, and campaigns for the trade unions to end the funding of Labour and to form a mass new workers party instead.
As such he believes our reps should only take the same wage as the working-class average.
