Dafydd Williams elected Labour leader – promises to change York politics

Dafydd Williams has been elected the new leader of the Labour group – and is therefore likely to become the next leader of City of York Council.

He was voted in as James Alexander’s successor at a meeting of the Labour group on Saturday (November 29).

“Cllr Dafydd Williams will be nominated as the Labour group’s choice for leader of the City of York Council, to be confirmed at a full meeting of all councillors on Thursday 11th December,” said group chair Ruth Potter.

“I’d like to welcome Cllr Williams to the role as the Labour group looks to continue work on sustaining York’s economy in the face of Tory-Lib Dem Government austerity measures.”

“I want to thank my Labour colleagues for putting their confidence in me by giving me the incredible honour to lead the Labour group at this critically important time, Cllr Williams said.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge and the chance to change the way politics is done in York. Too often our politics has been done by attacking individuals and negative campaigning, which leaves residents cold.

“I look forward to sharing my vision for the city in the coming days so that councillors know exactly what I stand for before voting for a new council leader on December 11.”

All about Dafydd

Dafydd Williams, aged 36, has been a councillor in York since 2011 and lives in Heworth where he will be standing for a second term as a York councillor in May 2015.

He was brought up in York, living elsewhere in the UK for a period before returning to the city to continue his career in communications.

He is currently head of public affairs at Yorkshire Water following a career including roles with public relations agencies, as a councillor in Plymouth and working for MPs and ministers in the last Government.

He has also previously run as a parliamentary candidate in 2005 for the Bournemouth West constituency, and for the European Parliament in 2009.