Aled Roberts

Aled Roberts is a Welsh politician from Rhosllannerchrugog, Wrexham.[1] He is a former elected member of the National Assembly for Wales who, until the 2016 election, represented the region of North Wales as a member of the Welsh Liberal Democrats party.[2] Before his election to the Assembly, he was a Councillor and the leader of Wrexham County Borough Council. On 1 April 2019 he was appointed Welsh Language Commissioner by the Welsh Government.[3]

Not to be confused with Aled Roberts (Wrexham MP).

Aled Roberts
Welsh Language Commissioner
Assumed office
1 April 2019
Preceded byMeri Huws
Member of the Welsh Assembly
for North Wales
In office
2011–2016
Leader of Wrexham Council
In office
2004–2011
Personal details
Political partyWelsh Liberal Democrats
Alma materAberystwyth University

Early life

Roberts graduated with a law degree at the University of Aberystwyth in 1983.[4] He later went on to practice as a solicitor. In 1985 he was part of a campaign to protect a local Miners' institute from closure. He later stopped practicing law when he was elected as the leader of Wrexham County Borough Council.[2]

Political career

Roberts was first elected to Wrexham County Borough Council in 1991 for the Rhos and Ponciau Ward. In 2003 he was elected as Mayor of Wrexham and the following year was voted in as Leader of the council.[2] In the 2011 National Assembly for Wales election, Roberts was elected as an Assembly Member for North Wales. Upon his election to the Welsh Assembly, he resigned as leader of Wrexham Borough Council as he felt he could not devote time to both legislatures and did not contest the council election for his seat in 2012.[5]

Shortly after his election, it was discovered that Roberts was a member of the Valuation Tribunal for Wales, which was a proscribed body which AMs were not allowed to be a member of because of a perceived conflict of interest. As a result, Roberts was disqualified from the Welsh Assembly.[6] Roberts stated that he was following a Welsh language guidance document from the Electoral Commission. This document later emerged to have been incorrect, as while the English regulations had been updated in 2010, the Welsh document still gave information based on 2006 regulations.[6] In July 2011, Roberts' disqualification was overturned by the Assembly on a 30–20 vote.[7]

Roberts later went on to become the Welsh Liberal Democrats' Education spokesman.[8] For the 2016 National Assembly for Wales election, Roberts announced that he would be standing in the Clwyd South constituency.[9] He came fifth in the Clwyd South constituency election to Welsh Labour's Ken Skates[10] and was not re-elected as the Liberal Democrats lost their North Wales region seat to the UK Independence Party.[11]

References
  1. "Aled Roberts to lead Lib Dem N Wales list". Freedom Central. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  2. "Aled Roberts". Welsh Assembly. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  3. "Aled Roberts start as new Welsh Language Commissioner". Welsh Language Commissioner. Welsh Government. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  4. "Alumni at the Senedd". Aberystwyth University. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  5. "Lib Dem AM Aled Roberts quits as Wrexham council leader". BBC News. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  6. "Electoral Commission sorry for out-of-date AMs advice". BBC News. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  7. "Barred Lib Dem Aled Roberts regains Welsh assembly seat". BBC News. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  8. "Student living grants election pledge by Lib Dems". BBC News. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  9. "Welsh Liberal Democrats Announce Clwyd South Candidate For Assembly Elections". Wrexham.com. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  10. Bagnall, Steve. "Labour holds Clwyd South for Ken Skates". Daily Post. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  11. Flint, Rachel. "UKIP get TWO North Wales AMs to represent us in Cardiff Bay". Daily Post. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
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