Politics in Cardiff facts for kids
Cardiff is a big city in Wales. Like all cities, it needs people to help run it and make decisions. This is called political representation. It means that people from Cardiff are chosen to speak for the city in different governments. These governments work at local, Welsh, and UK levels.
How Cardiff is Represented
Cardiff is divided into four main areas. These areas are called constituencies. Each constituency chooses a person to represent them. These representatives go to the UK Parliament in London. This is where big decisions for the whole United Kingdom are made.
Here are the four Cardiff constituencies and their representatives in the UK Parliament since 2015:
- Cardiff Central: Jo Stevens from the Labour Party.
- Cardiff North: Craig Williams from the Conservative Party.
- Cardiff South and Penarth: Stephen Doughty from the Labour Party.
- Cardiff West: Kevin Brennan from the Labour Party.
Some famous politicians from Cardiff include James Callaghan. He was a Prime Minister and represented his Cardiff area for over 40 years. Another was George Thomas, 1st Viscount Tonypandy. He was the Speaker of the House of Commons from 1976 to 1983. The Speaker makes sure debates in Parliament are fair.
Cardiff and the European Parliament
Cardiff is part of the wider Wales area for elections to the European Parliament. This Parliament makes decisions for countries in Europe. Wales chooses four people to represent it there.
The people who represented Wales in the European Parliament were:
- Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru/European Greens).
- Kay Swinburne (Conservative/European Conservatives and Reformists).
- Derek Vaughan (Labour/Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats).
- Nathan Gill (UKIP/Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy).
The Senedd: Wales's Own Parliament
Wales has its own Parliament, called the National Assembly for Wales. It is now known as the Senedd. This Welsh Parliament has been in Cardiff Bay since it started in 1999. The special Senedd building was opened by the Queen on March 1, 2006.
The Senedd makes laws and decisions just for Wales. The main offices for the Welsh Government are in Cathays Park in Cardiff. The Assembly Members (AMs) and their staff work in Cardiff Bay.
Cardiff chooses four AMs for the Senedd. These AMs represent the same four areas as the UK Parliament. Everyone in Cardiff also gets an extra vote for the South Wales Central region. This helps make sure all voices are heard in the Senedd. The last Welsh Assembly elections were on May 3, 2007.
Here are the AMs for Cardiff's constituencies:
- Cardiff Central: Jenny Rathbone (Labour).
- Cardiff North: Julie Morgan (Labour).
- Cardiff South and Penarth: Vaughan Gething (Labour).
- Cardiff West: Mark Drakeford (Labour).
The South Wales Central region also chooses four AMs. This region covers Cardiff, Rhondda-Cynon-Taf, and the Vale of Glamorgan. These regional AMs are:
- David Melding (Conservative).
- Andrew R. T. Davies (Conservative).
- Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru).
- Eluned Parrott (Liberal Democrat).
