Sam Rowlands
Sam Rowlands is a Welsh Conservative politician serving as Member of the Senedd (MS) for the North Wales electoral region since 2021, and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance since December 2024. He has also formerly served as Shadow Health Minister, and as the Leader of Conwy County Borough Council from 2019 to 2021.
Sam Rowlands | |
|---|---|
 Rowlands in 2021 | |
| Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2024 | |
| Leader | Darren Millar |
| Preceded by | Peter Fox |
| Shadow Minister for Health | |
| In office 18 April 2024 – 5 December 2024 | |
| Leader | Andrew RT Davies |
| Preceded by | Russell George |
| Succeeded by | James Evans |
| Shadow Minister for Local Government | |
| In office 27 May 2021 – 18 April 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Laura Anne Jones[a] |
| Succeeded by | Peter Fox[b] |
| Member of the Senedd for North Wales | |
| Assumed office 8 May 2021 | |
| Leader of Conwy County Borough Council | |
| In office 3 June 2019 – 13 May 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Gareth Jones |
| Succeeded by | Charlie McCoubrey |
| Conwy County Borough Councillor for Pentre Mawr Ward | |
| In office 2 May 2008 – 5 May 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Natasha Rowlands |
| Children | 3 |
| Committees | Local Government and Housing Committee |
Sam Rowlands is a Welsh Conservative politician serving as Member of the Senedd (MS) for the North Wales electoral region since 2021,[1] and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance since December 2024.[2] He has also formerly served as Shadow Health Minister, and as the Leader of Conwy County Borough Council from 2019 to 2021.
Personal Life and Career
[edit]Rowlands was born in Bangor. He moved to Abergele when he was nine.[3]
Rowlands worked for HSBC from 2009 to 2019 as a credit risk manager.[4] He holds a degree in Business Management.[3]
Rowlands is married, and has three daughters.[4]
Political career
[edit]Rowlands began his career as a member of Conwy County Borough Council[5] and Abergele Town Council,[6] being first elected in the 2008 Welsh Local Government Elections.[7] He represented the Pentre Mawr electoral ward. He served as the mayor of Abergele from 2015 to 2016.[8] Rowlands also stood in the Vale of Clwyd in the 2016 Welsh Assembly Election.[9] He was not elected.
After the 2017 Conwy County Borough Council elections, Rowlands formed part of the minority Conservative-Independent administration run by Gareth Jones,[10] serving as the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources between June 2017 and June 2019. In June 2019, Rowlands was removed from this role by Jones, after holding talks to take control of the council.[11][12] Rowlands then tabled a no-confidence motion in Jones' leadership, and took control of the council,[12][13] which he led until 2021, when he resigned as leader upon being elected as Member of the Senedd for the North Wales electoral region.[14][15] He served the remainder of his term as a Councillor, leaving the role at the 2022 elections, which he did not contest.[14]
Following his election to the Senedd, Rowlands was appointed Shadow Minister for Local Government.[16] He re-established the Cross Party Group on Tourism.[17] Rowlands led a campaign working with Conwy County Borough Council to re-establish the Conwy County Borough School's Football Association in 2021.[18] Rowlands has spoken on the importance of sport to keep people fit and healthy as well as a driver for economic development in the Welsh Parliament. In 2022 he also became the Chairman of Welsh Parliament Cross Party Group on the Outdoor Activity Sector. He is also a member of the Health and Social Care committee, as well as a member of cross party groupings on Armed Forces and Cadets, Beer and Pubs, Horseracing, Industrial Communities, North Wales, Renewable and Low Carbon Energy, Rural Growth, Sport, and Welsh Wool.
In a reshuffle in April 2024, Rowlands was appointed as Shadow Health Minister.[19] After the resignation of Andrew RT Davies and election of Darren Millar as leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Rowlands was appointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance.
In the 2026 Senedd election, he will be a candidate in the Fflint Wrecsam constituency.[20]
Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill
[edit]During July 2022 Rowlands's proposed Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill was drawn in the Welsh Parliament's ballot of proposed member's bills.[21] On 26 October 2022 the Welsh Parliament voted to allow time and resources to be committed to developing this legislation further, with support from Conservative, Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrat MSs. Labour opposed the bill.[22] In April 2024, the bill was rejected by the Senedd, after a motion to agree the general principles of the bill failed.[23]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Election results for North Wales". Flintshire County Council. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "New Welsh Conservatives leader Darren Millar MS announces shadow cabinet". ITV News. 12 December 2024. Archived from the original on 12 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Sam Rowlands MS". senedd.wales. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Sam Rowlands MS". North West Wales Conservatives. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "Local Democracy". Election results for Pentre Mawr. Conwy County Borough Council. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Local Democracy". Election results for Abergele - Pentre Mawr. Conwy County Borough Council. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project - 2012 - Conwy". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "Attend meetings - mayor. - Free Online Library". Attend meetings - mayor. The Free Library by Farlex. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Election results for Vale of Clwyd". Denbighshire County Council. April 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Plaid Cymru Conwy leader defies party on Tory coalition". BBC News. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "Conwy council leader faces leadership contest". BBC News. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Threat to Conwy council's leadership result of naked political ambition". Rhyl Journal. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "Conwy council leader replaced by sacked councillor". BBC News. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Conwy council's leader to resign after winning MS seat at Senedd Cymru election". North Wales Pioneer. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "Welsh election: Fresh faces in new Conservative Senedd team". BBC News. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "Boozy MSs who drank in the Senedd after the alcohol ban came in get top roles on Welsh Tory frontbench - Wales Online". www.walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ "Minutes of 8 July 2021" (PDF). business.senedd.wales. Welsh Parliament. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Colwyn Bay footballer selected for full Welsh under-14s squad". Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ Price, Emily (18 April 2024). "Welsh Conservatives reshuffle shadow cabinet". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Price, Emily (20 May 2025). "Plaid Cymru reveals candidates for new Fflint-Wrecsam super constituency". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "Development of the Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill". senedd.wales. Welsh Parliament. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Vote Outcomes Plenary 26/10/2022". record.assembly.wales. Welsh Parliament. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill". business.senedd.wales. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2024.