Welsh politician
Elizabeth Gwendoline Nerys Evans (born 1980) is a Welsh politician. She was a member of the National Assembly for Wales representing Plaid Cymru in the Mid and West Wales region. She contested the Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire seat for the 2011 National Assembly for Wales elections, finishing in third place,[1] and thus lost her seat in the Assembly.[2] She is currently a director of the public affairs agency Deryn.[3]
Background
Evans was born in Llangain near Carmarthen. She was educated at Bro Myrddin Welsh Comprehensive School, and Manchester University where she obtained a BA in Government and Political Theory, followed by Cardiff University where she was awarded a MSc in Welsh Politics in 2004.
Political career
She became an organiser for Plaid Cymru in Carmarthen East and Dinefwr and worked as press officer for the Plaid Cymru group on Carmarthenshire County Council. More recently[when?] she worked as a Political Officer for Plaid Cymru in the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff.
In 2006, Evans was chosen to head the Plaid Cymru list in Mid and West Wales for the 2007 Assembly election. On election day she took the seat vacated by Helen Mary Jones, who succeeded in winning the Llanelli constituency.
Her political interests include rural affairs, voter apathy and workers' rights. She was Plaid Cymru's Education Spokesperson from 2009 – 2011. She was chair of the Assembly Cross Party group for Broadband in rural Wales, she sat on the Assembly's Enterprise and Learning committee and is a former chair of the Broadcasting Sub Committee. In 2008 Nerys won the annual ITV Wales Campaigner of The Year award for her campaigning work on domestic abuse issues.
Evans was the Director of Policy for Plaid Cymru and authored their 2011 Assembly Manifesto.[3]
In 2011 she was appointed as an Education commissioner in Blaenau Gwent County Council by the Welsh Government[3]
In 2012 Deryn Public Affairs Agency was set up. Nerys Evans was appointed as a joint director of the Agency in addition to Cathy Owens a former Welsh Labour Government Special adviser.[3]
In December 2022 Evans was chosen by Adam Price to write a report on the allegations of bullying and sexual harassment within Plaid Cymru. Prosiect Pawb report was published in May 2023 concluding that there was ''a culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny" within the party, this led to Adam Price stepping down as leader on 10 May.[4][5]
