Cyflwynwyd y datganiad hwn gan Roger Pratt. Mae'r datganiad yn adlewyrchu ei farn bersonol ef, ac nid yw, o reidrwydd, yn adlewyrchu safbwynt Plaid Geidwadol Cymru.

This statement was submitted by Roger Pratt. The statement reflects his personal views and not necessarily those of the Welsh Conservative Party.

I believe that the Conservative Party should do everything possible to encourage as wide a range of Candidates which is as representative as possible of the area it wishes to serve.

However I believe that ultimately it is the electorate to decide who is elected and that no artificial barriers should be imposed by any Government on who Political Parties put forward as Candidates  for election.

In order to achieve a wider diversity of Candidates I believe that Parties should organise seminars, encourage people and actively talent spot.

I believe Candidates are put off by some of the aggressive language and abusive behaviour particularly on social media to which they can be subjected. I believe we need a code of practise which respects different points of view and does not attack Candidates on a personal basis.

I live in Monmouthshire where the Conservative Group gained overall control in May 2017. They gained 6 seats which net equated to 3 extra men and 3 extra women becoming Councillors. This means that 40% of the Conservative Group are now women. This is much better than the average ratio for Councils in Wales and provides a good start to improving the overall position.