We’ve invited all the local election candidates to complete this questionnaire so you know more about the people asking for your vote on the 4th of May. We’re also compiling a list of their websites and social media accounts so you can follow them and get in touch if you have any questions.

Follow @mycardiffnorth

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Name – Dianne Rees
Party – Conservatives
Ward – Pontprennau and Old St Mellons
Website –
Twitter  –
Facebook – Dianne Rees
How can people get in touch with you? – dianne.rees@welshconservatives.com, Telephone, Social Media and if re-elected Council contact details.

About You

Tell us about yourself

I was born and brought up in Cardiff, and have lived in the ward for 23 years. I am married with four adult children and have spent much of my life in public service. I trained as a secondary school teacher and spent time volunteering for local charities and organisations such as citizens advice bureau and have served as a Justice of the Peace for nearly 30 years.

Since 1995 I’ve been a member of Old St Mellons Community Council and served as Chairman for 6 years. First elected as a County Councillor in 2004, re-elected in 2008 and 2012, it has been an honour to serve this Community, the area in which I live and love, for the past 13 years. Being a County Councillor has given me the opportunity to engage with local organisations. Currently I’m Vice-Chair of Governors at the Village School in Old St Mellons and a founding governor of the new Pontprennau Primary School.

Family life is very important to me and I want the people of our area to enjoy quality time with their families. Maintaining and improving good quality living in Cardiff and in Pontprennau and Old St Mellons is important to me.

I am keen to preserve and improve our environment and ensure that children in Cardiff have the best opportunity to reach their full potential in education and subsequent employment.

Listening to the views of residents, I opposed mass development of green fields throughout the ward. I love this City and want to see the best of it preserved for future generations.

What are the biggest issues in your ward?

Parking and traffic congestion is the biggest issue in our Community. On the door step residents often report roads in need of urgent repair and highlight litter and graffiti hotspots.

Protection of the setting of our City is important. Greenfield development on the scale currently proposed will place additional pressures on our roads and Community.

Speeding is also a cause for concern and is often raised. Its good to see the 20mph zone near Pontprennau Primary School has been put in place.

What’s your favourite place in Cardiff and why?

For me it has to be City Hall and the Civic Centre that surrounds it. To me it symbolises the potential that Cardiff has which was the vision of the City Fathers in the early part of the 20th Century – I’d like to regain that spirit again.

What do you think should be done to improve engagement in politics?

Democracy and how it works should be taught in schools in an impartial way. I would like to see the press highlight some of the positive contributions made by the democratic process.

On a local level it is important that people understand the importance of County Council elections. They play a major role in delivering the governance of our schools, community facilities and quality of life.

What’s your favourite film?

Mamma Mia!

If You’re Elected

What will you do to improve your ward?

We will work as a team to address the issues our Community faces. Parking and congestion is a problem faced by many areas in the ward.

If both elected, Joel and I will hold a public meeting inviting all members of the Community, the new Cabinet Member with responsibility for traffic and transportation, the local Police, senior Council Officers and members of the business community. No real progress will be made with this issue unless there is real change in Council priorities.

The Council must be tough on flytipping and use CCTV footage and covert methods to detect and prosecute offenders.

If our Party is in control we will have a team of Officers dedicated to local areas to deal with issues such as; litter and drain clearance, parking issues, potholes and hedgerow, verge and grass cutting.

How will you communicate with residents in your ward?

We keep residents informed through our regular newsletters. We also send our targeted letters to areas that are affected by a particular issue. We will continue to call on residents and seek their views.

Since 2015 the Pontprennau Community Facebook page has been a great way to highlight local issues and respond to concerns raised by residents. Hopefully we have proven to the Community that we work well as a team and can do much more if both elected in May 2017.

Social media has become an important way of communicating quickly with residents and this must continue. It is also important to use traditional ways of communication by letter, email and telephone.

What issues that affect the whole city would you like to get involved in?

I am very concerned about the cleanliness of our City. When overseas visitors have come to Cardiff they have commented on the blight of litter on Cardiff roads.

Congestion is a major concern. With roads already at full capacity something must be done urgently to address this issue.

Care for the elderly and the education of children has got to be a priority for all elected members.

Final Comments

What would you change about Cardiff and why?

• Better transport, including light rail connections in the east of the City. Some parts of my ward do not even have a bus service.
• Cleaner outskirts and suburbs, free of litter.
• New building should be more distinctive and reflect local building styles and use local building materials.
• Less traffic congestion. It can take an hour and a half to cross the City by road.

Any final comments?

I care passionately about this City and the ward in which I live. To be a local politician, you must have passion, commitment and a drive to make things better and its wise to develop a thick skin!

We’ve invited all the local election candidates to complete this questionnaire so you know more about the people asking for your vote on the 4th of May. We’re also compiling a list of their websites and social media accounts so you can follow them and get in touch if you have any questions.

Follow @mycardiffnorth

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Name – Joel Williams
Party – Conservatives
Ward – Pontprennau and Old St Mellons
Website – joelwilliams.net
Twitter  – @JoelTory
Facebook –
How can people get in touch with you? – joel.williams@welshconservatives.com, Telephone, Social Media.

About You

Tell us about yourself

Cardiff born and bred I’ve lived in Pontprennau and Old St Mellons all my life. I was educated at the local Village Primary School and at St Teilos Church in Wales High School. I first became interested in representing the views of others when I was asked to stand for the School Council when I was 11 years old. I was unhappy with the School’s uniform and the lack of practical work in science lessons!

I am passionate about improving public services that work for all, coming from a family of teachers I understand the importance of education and delivering sustained teaching and learning for all children. When I was 18 I was appointed a governor of a local primary school, since then I serve the School as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Finance & Estates Committee.

My interests in law and the planning system in Wales led me to become an active campaigner against unsustainable forms of greenfield development. In 2014 I led a legal challenge against a major development between Pontprennau and Old St Mellons. Cardiff needs homes, but these homes must be sustainable, with improved infrastructure and roads links- currently we lack this approach.

I’m a member of the local church in Old St Mellons and Old St Mellons Village Association (OSMVA). OSMVA organise social and sporting activities in Old St Mellons and hold regular events throughout the year that bring the community together. I have a keen interest in acting and am a member of a local amateur dramatics group in Cardiff.

Since 2012 I’ve run a small local business in Cardiff which publishes a magazine twice a year- the directory contains contacts for local businesses and groups in the area and has enabled me to listen to the views of others.

What are the biggest issues in your ward?

Parking and congestion is by far the biggest issue that comes up on the doorstep in Pontprennau and parts of Old St Mellons. There’s no point in highlighting an issue unless your prepared to do your best to do something about it. Linked in with congestion is greenfield development. We can’t build thousands of homes between Lisvane and Pontprennau unless we have the road network and infrastructure arrangements in place.

That is why local residents fought against the development between Pontprennau and Old St Mellons- the Pentwyn Link Road is already over capacity with neighbours spending hours in lost time waiting to get onto the M4 or Eastern Avenue.

Unless we address greenfield development from a strategic position the operational fallout on our streets will be continued and worsened parking problems and congestion. Let’s get it right for Cardiff, let’s get it right for Pontprennua and Old St Mellons. It would be wrong for me to promise a quick fix but I will fight tooth and nail for one!

What’s your favourite place in Cardiff and why?

For me it has to be Roath Park.

For the last couple of years its been a privilege to volunteer at Cartref Care Home on Lake Road West- after our meetings I often go for a walk round the lake and ‘clear my head’. Its funny how many people you meet there too!

What do you think should be done to improve engagement in politics?

Politics has become a dirty word and its the job of politicians to do something about it. When people ask me on the doorstep why I got involved in politics my answer is always the same: Once I was shouting on the sidelines for action, in this case I contacted Cllr Rees (my running mate for the Elections in May) about 10 years ago because of speeding traffic and pavement conditions, it was Dianne who challenged me to get involved and help improve our Community.

Politics must mean something, it impacts our lives in a good way and a bad way. Improving turnout in elections can only be achieved if residents can see that voting will make a difference. Local elections arguably have the most visible influence over our lives. For example our councils control our schools, our planning system, care for elderly residents, environment, parking and local roads. These examples can influence our wellbeing and effect the areas in which we want to live.

What’s your favourite film?

The best films are the films that make you laugh, for me ‘White Chicks’ is in my top 10.

If You’re Elected

What will you do to improve your ward?

Teamwork is needed to improve the issues our Community faces. Working as team, Dianne Rees and I will do what we can to get the job done when it comes to parking and congestion challenges in Pontprennau and parts of Old St Mellons.

Let’s be honest, if 4,500 homes is given the green light on Greenfields between Lisvane and Pontprennau, our roads will become completely gridlocked.

In Cardiff there is united opposition to Cardiff Labour’s 40,000 dwelling plan for Cardiff. Ask yourself: Where are the roads? Where are the school places? Where are the hospital beds?

It would be wrong to promise that if elected all greenfield development will go away but we must revise down mass development and ensure infrastructure arrangements and roads are in place before we embark on mass schemes.

Flytipping and the speed of traffic continue to cause concern for local residents. The Council must be tough on flytipping and use cctv footage to detect and prosecute offenders.

There are a number of issues that impact a small number of people and we are committed to working with individuals and groups to mitigate any local issues or concerns and act for our Community.

How will you communicate with residents in your ward?

Since 2012 we have been keeping residents informed through our regular newsletters. We also send our targeted letters to areas that are affected by a particular issue.

Since 2015 the Pontprennau Community Facebook page has been a great way to highlight local issues and respond to concerns raised by residents. Hopefully we have proven to the Community that we work well as a team and can do much more if both elected in May 2017.

Social media has become an important way of communicating quickly with residents and this must continue.

What issues that affect the whole city would you like to get involved in?

Delivering a robust education plan for our City that aims to educate and work with parents, staff, teachers and governors to get the best deal for all stakeholders in Cardiff School’s.

The Local Development Plan needs to be revisited to take account of the views of local residents who are overwhelmingly against mass green field development. Residents were ignored when the Plan was passed in 2015.

Final Comments

What would you change about Cardiff and why?

Cardiff is in a critical part of its development. We must get it right because we can’t afford to get it wrong.

The best people to deliver change in Cardiff and its Communities are local people who know the issues that Cardiff faces. That should also apply to local Communities who should be represented by those who know the issues and are committed to fighting for a solution that works.

As far a possible, party politics should be put to one side and Cardiff and its resident’s prioritised.

Any final comments?

These elections are crucial for Cardiff and for Pontprennau and Old St Mellons. In many ways the election is a local referendum on the issues that matter to residents. Parking. Greenfield development. Congestion.

It is a privilege to fight for our Community and for our City.