Rowlands began his career as a member of Conwy County Borough Council[5] and Abergele Town Council,[6] being first elected in the 2008 Welsh Local Government Elections.[7] He represented the Pentre Mawr electoral ward. He served as the mayor of Abergele from 2015 to 2016.[8] Rowlands also stood in the Vale of Clwyd in the 2016 Welsh Assembly Election.[9] He was not elected.
After the 2017 Conwy County Borough Council elections, Rowlands formed part of the minority Conservative-Independent administration run by Gareth Jones,[10] serving as the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources between June 2017 and June 2019. In June 2019, Rowlands was removed from this role by Jones, after holding talks to take control of the council.[11][12] Rowlands then tabled a no-confidence motion in Jones' leadership, and took control of the council,[12][13] which he led until 2021, when he resigned as leader upon being elected as Member of the Senedd for the North Wales electoral region.[14][15] He served the remainder of his term as a Councillor, leaving the role at the 2022 elections, which he did not contest.[14]
Following his election to the Senedd, Rowlands was appointed Shadow Minister for Local Government.[16] He re-established the Cross Party Group on Tourism.[17] Rowlands led a campaign working with Conwy County Borough Council to re-establish the Conwy County Borough School's Football Association in 2021.[18] Rowlands has spoken on the importance of sport to keep people fit and healthy as well as a driver for economic development in the Welsh Parliament. In 2022 he also became the Chairman of Welsh Parliament Cross Party Group on the Outdoor Activity Sector. He is also a member of the Health and Social Care committee, as well as a member of cross party groupings on Armed Forces and Cadets, Beer and Pubs, Horseracing, Industrial Communities, North Wales, Renewable and Low Carbon Energy, Rural Growth, Sport, and Welsh Wool.
In a reshuffle in April 2024, Rowlands was appointed as Shadow Health Minister.[19] After the resignation of Andrew RT Davies and election of Darren Millar as leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Rowlands was appointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance.
In the 2026 Senedd election, he will be a candidate in the Fflint Wrecsam constituency.[20]
During July 2022 Rowlands's proposed Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill was drawn in the Welsh Parliament's ballot of proposed member's bills.[21] On 26 October 2022 the Welsh Parliament voted to allow time and resources to be committed to developing this legislation further, with support from Conservative, Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrat MSs. Labour opposed the bill.[22] In April 2024, the bill was rejected by the Senedd, after a motion to agree the general principles of the bill failed.[23]
