:Vikki Howells
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{short description|Welsh Labour politician, MS for Cynon Valley}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Vikki Howells
| honorific-suffix = MS
| image = Official photograph of Vikki Howells MS Minister for Further and Higher Education (Portrait) (cropped).jpg
| image_size =
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| alt =
| caption = Official portrait, 2024
| order =
| office = Minister for Further and Higher Education
| term_start = 11 September 2024
| term_end =
| predecessor = Office established
| successor =
| firstminister = Eluned Morgan
| office1 = Member of the Senedd
for Cynon Valley
| term_start1 = 6 May 2016
| term_end1 =
| majority1 = 7,468 (36.4%)
| predecessor1 = Christine Chapman
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| citizenship = United Kingdom
| nationality = Welsh
| party = Welsh Labour
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| education = St John the Baptist School, Aberdare
| alma_mater = University of Wales, Cardiff
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Vikki Howells is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician serving as Minister for Further and Higher Education since September 2024. Since May 2016, she has also been the Member of the Senedd for Cynon Valley. Howells is a former teacher.
Background and personal life
Howells was brought up in Cwmbach, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. She was educated at St John the Baptist School, a Church in Wales secondary school in Aberdare.{{cite web |date= |title=Vikki Howells MS |url=https://senedd.wales/people/vikki-howells-ms/ |access-date=11 August 2024 |website=senedd.wales |publisher=}} She studied International and Welsh history at the University of Wales, Cardiff, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She remained at Cardiff to undertake postgraduate study in Modern Welsh History, and graduated with a Master of Arts degree.
Her partner is Hefin David, MS for the neighbouring Caerphilly constituency.{{Cite web |date=2021-06-02 |title=Register of interests for Vikki Howells MS - Sixth Senedd |url=https://business.senedd.wales/mgDeclarationSubmission.aspx?UID=5107&HID=500000324&FID=0&HPID=0 |access-date=2024-08-11 |website=business.senedd.wales |language=en-gb}}
Career
=Teaching career=
Before her election to the Senedd, Howells was a history teacher and the assistant head of sixth form at St Cenydd Comprehensive School in Caerphilly, South Wales.
=Political career=
Howells has been a Member of the Labour Party since she was 17. In December 2015, it was announced that Howells had been selected as the Welsh Labour candidate for the Cynon Valley constituency of the Senedd.{{cite web|last1=Tegeltija|first1=Sam|title=Teacher Vikki Howells announced as Labour's Cynon Valley candidate for National Assembly election|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/teacher-vikki-howells-announced-labours-10561753|website=Walses Online|access-date=7 May 2016|date=8 December 2015}} On 5 May 2016, she was elected as a Member of the Welsh Assembly, she received 9,830 votes (51.1% of the votes cast, and a majority of 5,994).{{cite web|last1=Tegeltija|first1=Sam|title=Assembly Election 2016: Labour holds Cynon as Vikki Howells succeeds Christine Chapman|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/assembly-election-2016-labour-holds-11293180|website=Wales Online|access-date=7 May 2016|date=6 May 2016}}
She was re-elected as a Labour and Co-operative Party candidate{{cite web |title=Annual Review 2021 |url=https://party.coop/wp-content/blogs.dir/5/files/2022/06/Annual-Report-2021-FINAL.pdf |access-date=16 July 2024 |publisher=Co-operative Party}} at the 2021 Senedd election with an increased majority of 7,468 votes.{{Cite web |date= |title=Election results for Cynon Valley, 6 May 2021 |url=https://business.senedd.wales/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?ID=317 |access-date=2024-08-11 |website=business.senedd.wales |language=en-gb}}
Howells supported Vaughan Gething in the 2018 and February–March 2024 Welsh Labour leadership elections.{{Cite news |date=2018-05-25 |title=Labour AMs back Vaughan Gething for Welsh Labour leadership in open letter |url=https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2018-05-25/labour-ams-back-vaughan-gething-for-welsh-labour-leadership-in-open-letter |access-date=2024-08-11 |work=ITV Wales}}{{Cite news |date=2023-12-14 |title=Vaughan Gething announces Welsh first minister bid |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-67716021 |access-date=2024-08-11 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}
Howells chaired the Welsh Labour Group of MSs from 2017 to 2024.{{Cite web |title=About Vikki |url=https://www.vikkihowells.com/en/about-vikki/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610141539/https://www.vikkihowells.com/en/about-vikki/ |archive-date=2023-06-10 |website=Vikki Howells MS}} She is also president of the mental health charity Friends R Us and vice-president of Cwmbach Male Voice Choir. Vikki is also a member of the Cynon Valley History Society, the social justice thinktank the Bevan Foundation, the Co-operative Party, the GMB and USDAW.
Howells chaired the Senedd Standards of Conduct Committee between 2021 and 2024.{{Cite web |title=Standards of Conduct Committee |url=https://senedd.wales/committees/standards-of-conduct-committee/ |access-date=2024-08-11 |website=senedd.wales |language=en-GB}}
She was appointed as Minister for Further and Higher Education under First Minister Eluned Morgan in September 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-11 |title=Welsh government reshuffle: Miles back as minister after ousting Gething |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj9lm4vr0meo |access-date=2024-09-11 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}
References
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{{Current MSs|state=collapsed}}
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{{s-par|wal}}
{{s-bef| before= Christine Chapman}}
{{s-ttl| title= Member of the Senedd for Cynon Valley | years=2016 to present}}
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{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howells, Vikki}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Welsh Labour members of the Senedd
Category:Labour Co-operative members of the Senedd
Category:Female members of the Senedd
Category:People from Cynon Valley
Category:People educated at St John the Baptist School, Aberdare