Somerville alumnus Huw Thomas (Music, 2003) has become the leader of Wales’s largest local authority and the youngest Council leader in Wales, after the Labour group which controls Cardiff Council elected him as their leader.
Huw has served as a councillor for the city’s ward of Splott since 2012, and was re-elected to the council in this month’s local elections. Following the election and following a leadership challenge against the former council leader, Phil Bale, Huw was chosen by his group to lead the council. He said that he was “truly humble” that the group had “put their faith in him,” and paid tribute to his predecessor for his “hard work and for what he has achieved.”
Huw grew up in Mid-Wales but moved to Splott after graduating from Somerville. In addition to serving on the council he is the head of Christian Aid’s team in Wales, working at the national office in Cardiff, and is on the governing body of both Willows High School and Ysgol Glan Morfa.
He is also a trustee of Seren In The Community, a new local charity which plans to work with deprived communities (and particularly children) in the Splott, Tremorfa and Adamsdown areas of Cardiff to develop “thriving community buildings” for their use.