Denise Idris Jones

Denise Idris Jones (7 December 1950 – 24 July 2020; née Woodrow) was a Welsh politician and teacher. She was Labour member of the National Assembly for Wales for the Conwy Assembly constituency between 2003 and 2007.

Personal Life & Teaching Career
As a student in Liverpool, she worked for Harold Wilson’s campaign. She taught English and French at Grango Secondary Modern School, Rhosllanerchrugog, for around 30 years. Jones spoke Welsh, English, and French. She lived in Ruthin, where she died on 24 July 2020.

Political career
Jones contested the Meirionnydd Nant Conwy constituency in the 1999 National Assembly for Wales election. She lost to Dafydd Elis-Thomas. At the 2003 Assembly elections she contested the Conwy assembly constituency, and beat Plaid Cymru incumbent Gareth Jones by just 72 votes.

In 2003, shortly after Jones was elected, during a normal day's proceedings she left the assembly chamber to post a letter. While she was gone, the then Welsh government lost a motion on its business schedule, after the vote deadlocked 29-29 and the tie was broken in the negative by then Presiding Officer Dafydd Elis-Thomas. This was due to Assembly standing orders required the Presiding Office to vote in the negative when no further discussion was possible. Jones apologised for the error, stating "I am sorry that I missed the vote because I have found as a new member that I haven't been made aware of certain things. I took a letter up to the office and there was no division bell which I expected and when I got back I had missed the vote. I'll never do that again."

She served on the Culture, Welsh Language & Sport Committee; the Education & Lifelong Learning Committee; the Audit Committee and the North Wales Regional Committee.

For the 2007 Assembly elections, the Conwy constituency she had served as member for was split across the new Aberconwy and Arfon constituencies. She contested the Aberconwy constituency, and came third in this election, losing to previous opponent Gareth Jones.