Dawn Bowden

Dawn Bowden
AM
Member of the Welsh Assembly
for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
Assumed office
6 May 2016
Preceded by Huw Lewis
Majority 5,486
Personal details
Born Dawn Alison Louise Bowden
(1960-02-14) 14 February 1960
Bristol, England
Nationality British
Political party Labour
Other political
affiliations
Welsh Labour
Spouse(s) Martin Eaglestone
Children Two
Education St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School
Soundwell Technical College

Dawn Alison Louise Bowden (born 14 February 1960) is a British Labour Party politician and trade unionist. Since May 2016, she has been the Member of the Welsh Assembly for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.[1]

Early life and education

Bowden was educated at St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School, a state-funded Catholic school in Bristol, England. Then, from 1976 to 1978, she undertook a secretarial course at Soundwell Technical College.[2]

Career

Early career

Bowden began her working life as a secretary. She worked for the National Health Service between 1979 and 1982, and for Bristol City Council from 1982 to 1983.[2]

From April 2012 until her election to the Welsh Assembly in May 2016, Bowden was the head of health for UNISON Cymru/Wales (the Welsh division of the national trade union UNISON).[2][3][4]

Political career

In February 2016, it was announced that Bowden had been selected from an all-women shortlist to be the Welsh Labour candidate for the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency seat in the next Welsh Assembly election.[4][5] The all-women shortlist was controversial; it drew criticism from a number of male councillors, including the leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.[6] On 5 May 2016, she was elected a Member of the Welsh Assembly with 9,763 votes (47.2% of votes cast).[1]

Personal life

Bowden has two children.[7] In 2011, she married Martin;[7] he works as a policy officer for Welsh Labour.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney". Wales Election 2016. BBC News. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Dawn Bowden". LinkedIn. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  3. "UNISON slams Cardiff and the Vale Health Board for redundancy decision". unison.org.uk. UNISON. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  4. 1 2 Houghton, Tom (27 February 2016). "Labour selects Dawn Bowden as Assembly candidate for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney". Wales Online. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  5. "Labour picks Dawn Bowden as Merthyr and Rhymney AM candidate". BBC News. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  6. "Labour election row over all-women shortlist in Merthyr". BBC News. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Dawn Bowden AM". assembly.wales. National Assembly for Wales. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  8. "Register of interests: Dawn Bowden AM". senedd.assembly.wales. National Assembly for Wale. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
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