In 1994 Bates became involved in local politics as a Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Dyffryn Banw, where he started a community regeneration scheme as Chairman of the Llanfair Town Forum, which successfully obtained Market Towns Initiative status.

[1] On 10 December 2010, Bates was convicted of three counts of common assault and public disorder, while drunk, having punched a paramedic on 20 January 2010, and was ordered to pay fines, compensation, and costs totalling £5,490.

[2] Bates resigned from the party before the Welsh Liberal Democrats could convene a committee of enquiry and served the remaining months of his term of office in the Assembly as an independent.

[3] While in the Assembly, Bates campaigned for extra money for rural schools and to put major road schemes into the Welsh Government Transport Plan, including the Newtown bypass, Buttington improvements, the Four Crosses bypass, and the Glandyfi bends.

On agriculture, Bates designed the unique concept of Farming Connect, a free business advisory service to help farmers throughout Wales.