Dawn Bowden

Dawn Bowden
MS
Official portrait, 2024
Minister for Children and Social Care[a]
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 March 2024
First MinisterVaughan Gething
Eluned Morgan
Preceded byHuw Irranca-Davies
Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism
In office
13 May 2021 – 20 March 2024
First MinisterMark Drakeford
Preceded byThe Lord Elis-Thomas
Succeeded byOffice vacant
Welsh Government Chief Whip
In office
13 May 2021 – 2 May 2023
First MinisterMark Drakeford
Preceded byJane Hutt
Succeeded byJane Hutt
Member of the Senedd
for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2016
Preceded byHuw Lewis
Majority9,311 (44%)
Personal details
Born
Dawn Alison Louise Bowden

(1960-02-14) 14 February 1960 (age 64)
Bristol, England
Political partyWelsh Labour
SpouseMartin Eaglestone
ChildrenTwo
EducationSt Bernadette Catholic Secondary School
Soundwell Technical College

Dawn Alison Louise Bowden (born 14 February 1960) is a British Labour Party politician and trade unionist serving as Minister for Children and Social Care[a] since 2024.[1] She previously served as Chief Whip of the Welsh Government from 2021 to 2023 and Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport (later also Tourism) from 2021 to 2024. Bowden has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney since 2016.[2]

Early life and education

Bowden was born on 14 February 1960 in Bristol, England.[3] She was educated at St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School, a state-funded Catholic school in Bristol. Then, from 1976 to 1978, she undertook a secretarial course at Soundwell Technical College.[4]

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.[4]

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).[4][5][6]

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.[6][7] The all-women shortlist was controversial; it drew criticism from a number of male councillors, including the leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.[8] On 5 May 2016, she was elected a Member of the Welsh Assembly with 9,763 votes (47.2% of votes cast).[2]

Bowden has sat as a Labour Co-operative member since re-election in 2021.[9] She was re-elected with a majority of 9,311 votes.[10] After the election, she was appointed as Chief Whip for the Welsh Government and Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism by First Minister Mark Drakeford.[11][12] She was moved from the role of Chief Whip to being a Ministerial liaison for the co-operation agreement, in May 2023.[13] After Vaughan Gething was elected First Minister in May 2024, she was appointed as Minister for Social Care.[14] First Minister Eluned Morgan retained her in this role when she appointed her cabinet in August 2024,[15] but renamed it to Minister for Children and Social Care in Morgan's September 2024 reshuffle.[16]

Personal life

Bowden has two children. Sam and Jack.[17] In 2011, she married Martin;[17] he works as a policy officer for Welsh Labour.[18]

Notes

  1. ^ a b As Minister for Social Care from March to September 2024

References

  1. ^ "First Minister Vaughan Gething announces new Welsh Government Cabinet | GOV.WALES". www.gov.wales. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney". Wales Election 2016. BBC News. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  3. ^ 'BOWDEN, Dawn', Who's Who 2017, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, Nov 2016 accessed 30 Sept 2017
  4. ^ a b c "Dawn Bowden". LinkedIn. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  5. ^ "UNISON slams Cardiff and the Vale Health Board for redundancy decision". unison.org.uk. UNISON. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b Houghton, Tom (27 February 2016). "Labour selects Dawn Bowden as Assembly candidate for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney". Wales Online. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Labour picks Dawn Bowden as Merthyr and Rhymney AM candidate". BBC News. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Labour election row over all-women shortlist in Merthyr". BBC News. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Annual Review 2021" (PDF). Co-operative Party. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Election results for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, 6 May 2021". business.senedd.wales. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Written Statement: Cabinet appointments to the new Welsh Government (13 May 2021) | GOV.WALES". www.gov.wales. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Dawn Bowden MS: Minister for Social Care | GOV.WALES". www.gov.wales. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Written Statement: Ministerial Responsibilities (2 May 2023) | GOV.WALES". www.gov.wales. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  14. ^ "First Minister Vaughan Gething announces new Welsh Government Cabinet | GOV.WALES". www.gov.wales. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Written Statement: Cabinet Appointments (7 August 2024) | GOV.WALES". www.gov.wales. 7 August 2024. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Welsh government reshuffle: Miles back as minister after ousting Gething". BBC News. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Dawn Bowden AM". assembly.wales. National Assembly for Wales. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  18. ^ "Register of interests: Dawn Bowden AM". senedd.assembly.wales. National Assembly for Wale. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.