YOUR candidates for the Vale of Clwyd Chris Ruane (Labour) Chris Ruane is a Welsh Labour party politician who has been the MP for the Vale of Clwyd since 1997. He returned from university to teach at Ysgol Mair Primary School where he was deputy headteacher until his election as MP. He said: “I am honoured to have served the constituency. I believe we live in one of the most beautiful and historic areas of the country and have no hesitation in singing its praises. “As MP, it is my duty to represent my constituents and I believe the best way to do this is to meet with and listen to as many constituents as possible and make parliament as accessible as possible. I am one of the top questioners in Parliament and believe this is a good way of representing the constituency and holding ministers to account.  “I try and focus on the needs of my constituents by offering support and guidance when needed. Over the last year or so this has included work at the harbour, flooding issues in Rhyl and Prestatyn, cuts to local authority budgets, proposed developments, changes to post office services and supporting high street businesses. I believe this is what an MP should be - a local champion.” Mr Ruane added that one of his proudest achievements was getting Denbighshire and Conwy counties included in the West Wales and the Valleys Objective One status bid at the eleventh hour in 1999.  James Davies (Conservative)
 A GP who holds a clinical champion role for dementia is standing as Conservative parliamentary candidate for the Vale of Clwyd. James Davies has worked in the NHS for a decade and was previously a trainee doctor at Glan Clwyd Hospital. He is married to Nina, a district nurse, and has a 15-month-old son. Born in St Asaph, Mr Davies has lived in Rhyl and Bodelwyddan and moved to Prestatyn in the early 1980s. He decided to remain in the town after completing his medical degree at Cambridge in 2004. He has represented Prestatyn as a town and county councillor for 10 years. Mr Davies said: “I was born and brought up locally and my decision to remain here when I left university demonstrates my deep affinity with this part of North Wales. I will work with small businesses to create jobs and fight for better local infrastructure - to make our area more accessible to business. “There's much concern among local people about the standard of healthcare in Wales. That's where I'll use my knowledge and experience. I want far more ambition to be shown for Rhyl. It is in the interests of the whole area that the tide of decline in Rhyl is turned around and I believe that the regeneration of Prestatyn shows what I can achieve.” Some of Mr Davies campaign topics include regenerating Rhyl, developing an 21st century replacement for the sun centre, delivering a new Royal Alex and controlling immigration. He also lends his support to an in-out EU referendum in 2017.  Gwyn Williams (Liberal Democrat) A FARMER is standing as the Welsh Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for the Vale of Clwyd in the general election. Gwyn Williams, who has been a farmer in the Vale of Clwyd for the whole of his working life, has also been a Clwyd and Denbighshire county councillor. The 54-year-old, of Llandyrnog - near Denbigh - is married to Nia and has two children in Ysgol Glan Clwyd. He contested Clwyd West and Clwyd South West for the Liberal Democrats in the 90s. He said: “I am looking forward to the forthcoming general election. I was born in this constituency and it would be a huge privilege to represent the Vale in Parliament. “People deserve a MP who will put them first ahead of the interests of big businesses or powerful trades unions. I am pleased that in Government Liberal Democrats have cut income tax for low and middle earners and taken millions out of income tax altogether. "If re-elected, the Liberal Democrats will raise the personal allowance and make sure that people on the minimum wage do not pay a single penny in income tax. “If I am elected, I will work closely with North Wales Assembly Member Aled Roberts to represent everyone in the constituency." David Mawdsley, Vale of Clwyd Liberal democrat chair, said: “As a local family man with a fine track record of public service, Gwyn knows and shares the concerns and aspirations of communities in the Vale of Clwyd, and will work unstintingly on their behalf.”  Mair Rowlands (Plaid Cymru) A FORMER president of Bangor's Welsh Student Union is standing as the Plaid Cymru parliamentary candidate for the Vale of Clwyd. At 26-years-old, Mair Rowlands is one of Wales’s youngest councillors standing for election. Ms Rowlands has been a county councillor for Plaid Cymru on Gwynedd Council since 2012 and the cabinet member for children, young people and leisure. Ms Rowlands has lived in Bangor for a number of years. She graduated in welsh and theology from Bangor University in 2010 and was elected as a full time student representative at Bangor Students’ Union from 2010 until 2012 as president of the Welsh students. Since September 2012, Mr Rowlands has been a sustainable development officer at Bangor University. She is a school governor for one primary and one secondary school and has been a member of the community health council. Ms Rowlands said: “As a party we are committed to equality and fair play and a society that looks after its weaker members here in Wales. “I want to see more high quality jobs that pay a fair wage, more support for local businesses and improved transport links. I support policies to re-generate the centre of our local towns and attract shoppers back to the high street from out of town developments. “I welcome the announcement by the Welsh Government that they will spend more funds on further strengthening flood defences in areas like Rhyl and St Asaph.”  Paul Davies-Cooke (UKIP) PAUL Davies-Cooke, UKIP candidate for the Vale of Clwyd, is married with three children and his family has lived in North Wales for many years. He has farmed and worked within the agriculture and logistics industries, although Paul currently teaches students with additional learning needs at Coleg Cambria Northop. Mr Davies-Cooke, who lives in Rhydymwyn, near Mold, has served with the Royal Rlectrical and Mechanical Engineers and now works with young people as a detachment commander with the Army Cadet Force in Mold. He is also a member of his local Community Council. His statement to the public reads: “The main two parties, Labour and Conservative, have presided over this country, allowing our democracy to be sold off to unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, thus diminishing our ability to run the country as we, the people, feel right. “The people of the Vale of Clwyd have shown, with the recent European elections, that they have the courage to make this change and a vote for Paul Davies-Cooke will ensure that their parliamentary MP will be in London, representing the people unreservedly. “Make history and make that change on election day by voting UKIP, the common sense party.”