First Person: Councillor Matthew Evans looks back at his political journey

I WAS raised in Western Avenue, Newport.

My parents and I had to move because part of the motorway was going to be built through out back garden.

My father – who is 86 - used to run a recruitment company and my mother was a physiotherapist. My grandfather also ran a business and this was one of my first part-time jobs as a young boy.

I went to study at Ealing College and did three years in catering.

After college I completed various catering positions, some were in London and in other places.

I then took voluntary redundancy and decided to set up a business in Newport.

I came back here in 1990 and set up a corporate catering business which specialised in selling sandwiches and buffets to businesses.

It was called Matt Snax Caterers.

I ran it successfully for several years. We had a few units in Newport and about 100 clients. All of the top banks and the council were clients.

I sold the business in 1997.

A lot of people still come up to me today saying that they miss it.

I do not miss it because catering is very full on. You cannot make any slip ups either. And you must never be late. As you can probably tell, it could be quite stressful.

After this, and my accident really, I fell into politics.

I was approached and asked if I would stand in the 1999 local election. By then, I had two daughters who had come out of Baneswell Nursery School and we had been organising campaigns to keep it open. They were trying to close it.

The more I looked at it the more I got angry – it was an excellent place.

When trying to keep it open I would be reading council minutes and I would think ‘this is wrong’. The rest is history.

I took the seat from Labour in Allt-yr-yn in 1999. I won by 60 votes at the time.

I was not expecting to be elected. I was all over the place when I found out I had been. It was a great honour and took some getting used to.

And I have held the ward ever since.

William Graham, who had been an assembly member, was the leader of our group. I took over from him in 2003.

And aged 43, I then became leader of the council in 2008. I believe I am the youngest Conservative leader of this council.

It was made possible because the Liberal Democrats, led by Ed Townsend, and we sat down and agreed a plan which was suitable for both parties.

A lot of people said you are mad for taking over at a time when finance is going down. But very rarely do you get an opportunity, like we had, to actually make changes.

To be fair, we worked very well as a coalition.

For me, Newport being promised Debenhams for 20 years then managing to get both them and Friars Walk on board were big achievements.

I never thought it would solve all of Newport’s problems but it has done wonders.

We also brought in the food festival.

It also needs mentioning that - largely due to Ed Townsend - Admiral came to the city centre during my time as leader.

Admiral coming to the city centre is a big success story. They created hundreds of jobs.

All these things have made Newport a better place.

Unfortunately, we were not there to finish the job.

But I am a firm believer in democracy and the electorate made their decision.

Six years on since being leader, I have no regrets for the decisions that we made. You do what you can and you know you have a limited shelf life.

A few years later I became mayor of Newport. Soon into the role I was incredibly fortunate to meet many people throughout Newport who want to make a difference.

In this post I raised more than £44,000 for various charities. One of the charities was Teenage Cancer Trust.

The role also saw me meet President Barack Obama which was a huge honour.

I have also stood three times in the Assembly elections – twice in Newport West and once in Newport East.

Now I am leader of the opposition in Newport City Council. It is our aim to hold the administration to account.

I will review whether I re-stand at the next election. It is too early to say.

I am certainly not a political anorak. And in my spare time I enjoy going to the rugby and socialising.

I also enjoy time with my family. I married my wife, Tina, 26 years ago and we have two daughters.

Being passionate about Newport will always stay with me.

Because of my passion for the city, it frustrates me when things do not go right.

I want this city to succeed.

We desperately need more quality hotels, quality office blocks and living accommodation. It is going to be difficult because high streets are struggling.

We already have some great restaurants and independent retailers, but you need a critical mass because without that we will struggle.

That is why we need more people living and working in the city.

Having free parking would also help the city centre.

In 30 years, I hope I am remembered as someone who kept Newport afloat at a tenuous time.