Neil McEvoy

Cllr Neil McEvoy AM
Member of the Welsh Assembly for South Wales Central
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 May 2016
Preceded by	Leanne Wood
Personal details
Political party	Labour then Plaid Cymru from Nov 2003

Neil McEvoy is a Welsh politician who has represented the South Wales Central region at the National Assembly for Wales since 2016. He was elected as a Member of the National Assembly for Wales having been on Plaid Cymru's regional list, under the National Assembly's Additional Member System.

Born in Cardiff, his father's family have both English and Irish heritage, whilst his mother's grandfather came to Cardiff from the Yemen. McEvoy trained as a teacher of modern languages, but in the period before his election to the Senedd had moved into business consultancy.

McEvoy was elected as Labour Councillor for Riverside in 1999 and later became vice-chair of the Labour council group, he defected to Plaid Cymru in 2003. He lost his seat in Riverside in 2004 but was elected in 2008 in the Fairwater ward. He then became one of two Deputy leaders of Cardiff Council between 2008-2012 under a Liberal Democrat-Plaid Cymru coalition. In 2012 he lost his role as Deputy Leader of the Council but was returned as a Plaid Cymru Councillor.

In September 2012, despite Plaid's decision not to put forward any candidates for Police and Crime Commissioner elections, McEvoy said that he wanted to stand for the PCC for South Wales Police. McEvoy did not stand, Plaid did not put forward a candidate, and subsequently former MP Alun Michael won the position for Welsh Labour.

McEvoy also stood as a constituency candidate for Cardiff West in the 2016 Assembly election, increasing Plaid Cymru's vote by 11.9% and reducing Mark Drakeford (Labour)'s majority to 1,176 votes, from 5,901 in 2011 and beating the Conservatives to second place.

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