 Drakeford has always been interested in politics, which he says was part of the fabric of life in 1960s Carmarthenshire.He has also stated that he was 'always Labour', believing that a person's ties to the economy are the great determining factor in their life chances.From 1985 to 1993, Drakeford represented the Pontcanna ward on South Glamorgan County Council, with fellow future Welsh Assembly members Jane Hutt and Jane Davidson as his ward colleagues.