The Co-operative Party has announced the details of the Labour / Co-operative candidates standing for seats in the regional elections taking place in Wales and Scotland in May.

Since 1927 the Co-operative Party has had an electoral agreement with the Labour Party, which means that in elections candidates stand as joint Labour/Co-op candidates. However, the Co-operative Party is an independent party, with its own membership, staff, national executive committee and policy platform.

Following devolution referendums in both countries in 1997, the National Assembly for Wales and the new Scottish parliament were established in 1998. Elections for each took place every four years, but in 2015 this clashed with the UK general election. Scottish and Welsh elections were postponed until 5 May 2016 and will now take place every five years.

At the Welsh Assembly elections, the Co-operative Party will be hoping to secure its largest ever group of AMs. It currently has nine members in the Assembly, seven of whom will be standing for re- election. In North Wales, Ann Jones AM will be defending a narrow majority in the Vale of Clwyd and Julia Dobson will be contesting Ynys Mon. In Mid and West Wales, Lee Waters will be the Party’s candidate in Llanelli, which Labour gained from Plaid Cymru in 2011 with a 0.3% majority. Mary Wimbury will be campaigning right across North Wales as the number one list candidate.