Career
The industrial decline of the 1980"s and the 1984-1985 Miner"s strike led Gerald, at the age of 14, to become active in the community struggle to support the miners. He joined the Labour Party in 1988 and has served in a range of roles including Chairperson of New Tredegar Branch Labour Party and the Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney Constituency Labour Party. Between 2003 and 2015, he also played a key role in United Kingdom General Elections & Welsh Assembly Election Campaigns across Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney as Election Agent.
Gerald was elected as a Labour Councillor to Caerphilly County Borough Council in 1995, representing his home community of New Tredegar.
Foreign 20 years, he represented his community and held an active calendar of advice surgeries and attended many community events, being accessible to local residents. He also served as Deputy Leader of the Council and between 2012 and 2015 also served as Cabinet Member for Housing where he drove the council"s commitment to delivering the Welsh Housing Quality Standard programme.
He has a lifelong passion for supporting community empowerment and has actively volunteered with a range of community groups in the New Tredegar area, playing a key role in driving the Phillipstown Community House project and the multi agency New Tredegar Regeneration Strategy, a project that saw around £25million invested in the local area. Gerald was born in 1970 in Phillipstown, New Tredegar: a small community in the Upper Rhymney Valley.
Before becoming an Member of Parliament spent 15 years working in the third sector, primarily in community development where he supported a large number of charities and community groups with development, funding applications and training needs.
He is openly gay.
