Ex-MS William Powell named Powys County Council chairman

A FORMER Welsh Assembly member for Mid and West Wales has been elected as the chairman of Powys County Council for the next year.
Cllr William Powell (Liberal Democrat) was unanimously approved as the new chairman of the council.
He took over the chains of office from the incumbent, Cllr Jonathan Wilkinson (Conservative) at Powys County Council's annual general meeting on Thursday, May 15.
Last year, Cllr Powell who represents Talgarth in Brecknockshire served as council vice-chairman and in 2023/2024 had been elected to the assistant vice-chairman's role.
Cllr Powell said: 'We've had so many moving tributes and wise words this morning I think I will break the habit of a lifetime and keep my comments to a minimum.
'I'm immensely grateful to my colleagues for the faith you have expressed in me in today.
RECOMMENDED READING:
'Thank you all very much indeed.'
Earlier outgoing chairman, Cllr Jonathan Wilkinson (Conservative) said that one of his last public engagements on behalf of the authority he attended was the VE Day 80th anniversary service at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on May 7.
Cllr Wilkinson (Llangyniew and Meifod – Montgomeryshire) said: 'Llandaff Cathedral is quite a remarkable building in itself, heavily bombed during the war (Second World War) and then rebuilt.
'They have a wonderful organ there and the organ recital there was fantastic, the choir is known throughout the country and the band of the Royal Welsh (Regiment) played.
'That was a very memorable service of thanks during that week of commemorative events.
'We had our own here on May 8 with the raising of the flag at county hall and I had the privilege of reading that proclamation in recognition of the sacrifices made during the war to ensure our freedom.'
'There were members of the Royal British Legion and other organisations here and ex-servicemen and it was an absolute pleasure to meet those individuals.'
He went on to thank Cllr Powell as vice-chairman and Cllr Geoff Morgan the assistant vice-chairman for the support they had given him in the role during the last year and wished them 'the best of luck' as they move forward.
Cllr Wilkinson said: 'Also I would very much like to thank the behind the scenes team particularly Karen Southgate, Steve Boyd and Carol Johnson who have supported me and given me a nudge when I forget things and ensure the smooth running of things.'
A vote confirmed that Cllr Geoff Morgan (Reform UK) who represents the Ithon Valley in Radnorshire moves up from assistant vice-chairman to vice-chairman.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Danny Bebb who represents Churchstoke in Montgomeryshire was elected to take on the assistant vice-chairman's role.
The roles rotate between councillors who represent wards in the historic shires of Brecknockshire, Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire which make up modern day Powys.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Wales Online

3 hours ago

• Wales Online

Senedd denied veto over whether assisted dying becomes legal in Wales

Senedd denied veto over whether assisted dying becomes legal in Wales The new bill would allow those aged over 18 and with less than six months to live to receive medical assistance to die Assisted dying bill protestors gather outside the House of Commons (Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror ) MPs in the House of Commons have denied Welsh Parliament a potential veto over whether assisted dying will become legal in Wales. A change made to the bill at an earlier stage, which would have given members of the Senedd the power to decide when the law comes into force, has now been reversed. It means that now, both the UK Government and the Senedd will have the power to pass the regulations on assisted dying services in Wales. A significant decision remains for the Senedd, in a vote set to take place in Autumn, on whether to give consent to the legislation. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here . On Friday, MPs voted on whether the bill proceeds for House of Lords consideration. Whilst criminal justice is controlled by the UK Government, health in Wales is handled by the Senedd. It is unclear what would happen in Wales did not come on board. The assisted dying legislation was drawn up by MP Kim Leadbeater. But amendments were made to remove commencement powers for the Senedd, added at an earlier stage by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney. The amendments of the Senedd's powers were passed with 274 votes and 224 against, and "reflected that criminal law is not the Senedd's responsibility". Article continues below Under current law, encouraging or assisting suicide is illegal in England and Wales, with a maximum jail sentence of 14 years. The new bill would allow those aged over 18 and with less than six months to live to receive medical assistance to die. During the historic vote in November last year, Alex Barros-Curtis, Anna McMorrin, and Jo Stevens, the MPs for Cardiff West, Cardiff North, and Cardiff East respectively all voted in favour. Meanwhile, Stephen Doughty, the MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, voted against. In Swansea, Torsten Bell, representing Swansea West, voted in favour, while Carolyn Harris, the MP for Neath and Swansea East, did not record a vote. In Newport, Ruth Jones, the MP for Newport West and Islwyn, and Jessica Morden, the MP for Newport East, both voted against the Bill. Article continues below Bridgend MP Chris Emore voted in favour, as did Ceredigion Preseli MP Ben Lake. Caerfyrddin's Ann Davies voted against. And in north Wales, Wrexham's Andrew Ranger, Bangor Aberconwy's Claire Hughes, and Alyn and Deeside's Mark Tami all voted in favour.

Telegraph

4 hours ago

• Telegraph

Warsaw has reclaimed its position as a proud capital

Well-meaning outsiders sometimes warn visitors to Poland to stick to Kraków, overflowing with splendid historical buildings, and avoid Warsaw – 'another boring capital city', as one writer phrased it to me. Ignore them. Kraków is charming, in the way that reliquaries of the past tend to be. But Warsaw is a monument to Polish perseverance – a sprawling symbol of the indefatigability of Europe's most successful post-Cold War nation. To appreciate Warsaw's 21st-century revival, consider what the city endured and overcame in the 20th. Months before he shot himself, Hitler ordered its total destruction. Even as Germany's fate was being sealed, the Führer's marauders executed his instruction to raze the Polish capital 'without trace' with murderous zeal. The city was dynamited block by block. Universities were blown up. Schools were torn down. Libraries were set on fire. Historical monuments were obliterated. Houses were pillaged. Survivors were crammed into trains and deported to concentration camps. When it was over, Warsaw – the site of the most gallant uprising of the Second World War – was a pile of dust and debris. It would have been easier to relocate the capital, and the Moscow-backed government that seized Poland briefly moved its operations to Łódź. Varsovians, however, remained defiant. In 1945, they organised an exhibition in their ruined city. 'Warsaw does not lament, it does not complain,' the event proclaimed, 'but before the tribunal of nations Warsaw Accuses'. General Eisenhower, one of the 43,000 visitors to the show, described the state of Warsaw as 'far more tragic than anything I have seen' in Europe. Not for long. Poles expelled from the city returned, cleared the rubble by hand, buried the dead, and began rebuilding Warsaw brick by brick. They compelled the government to support them by the sheer force of their example. Some buildings were resurrected as facsimiles of the destroyed originals. But the animating ideology of reconstruction was Soviet socialism, and, after a period of frenzied activity, Warsaw became stagnant. A symbol of this slump was Hotel Bristol. Housed in a neo-Renaissance building that opened in 1901, it once numbered among the city's grandest buildings – and was one of the handful to survive the Nazi rampage of 1944. By the 1980s, it had become so derelict that it had to be boarded up and abandoned. Warsaw itself degenerated into a drab city whose centrepiece was a Stalinist tower bequeathed as a 'gift' from the Soviet Union. The fall of communism stimulated a second revival. Varsovians seized the moment: they converted the Communist Party headquarters into the country's new stock exchange, and opened casinos inside the Stalinist behemoth. A cluster of glass-clad skyscrapers proliferated around them. Despite the recent election of the social conservative Karol Nawrocki as Poland's next president, Warsaw remains a haven for minorities. 'I am of course very uncomfortable,' a gay student at Warsaw University told me a day after the result. 'But this is Warsaw, and we still feel safe in Warsaw.' 'This city', another dejected voter told me, 'gives us hope'. Politics can conceal Poland's extraordinary achievement. Its GDP is rapidly approaching $1 trillion. The living standards of its people are the envy of Europeans. The Polish army is larger than the armed forces of Britain. Poles who emigrated abroad in search of opportunity at the start of the century are now drifting home. Some are running successful businesses – cocktail bars, breweries, restaurants – at home. Others are investing in the technologies of the future. A Canadian tourist was so impressed by the city that he was considering moving his business there. 'I have not seen a place with such work ethic,' he told me. Warsaw, reduced to the ground within the lifetime of many of its elderly citizens, has reclaimed its position as the proud capital of a great country.

Powys County Times

5 hours ago

• Powys County Times

Bluetongue rules 'risk devastating farmers' along the border

The Welsh Government have been warned that Bluetongue rules 'risk devastating farmers and livestock markets right the way along the border. MP for Brecon, Radnorshire and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick and Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds have demanded urgent action to support farmers in Powys and across the Welsh marches. New rules set to come into force on July 1 will see sheep unable to cross the Welsh border unless it has had a bluetongue test, even if it has been vaccinated, which can cost as much as £70 per animal. The Welsh Government has relaxed rules on cattle to allow vaccinated animals to enter, however sheep will not be subject to the change despite there being over 8 million sheep being farmed in Wales in 2024. Much of the trade taking place across the England-Wales border and local farmer James Gittins warned that "in the worst-case scenario, we are going to see the numbers of lambs produced in Wales drop by 10 to 20 per cent, from which it may never recover." Livestock markets such as Builth, Prestige and Welshpool are also set to be massively hit by the rules. In Westminster on Thursday, Mr Chadwick questioned the UK Government EFRA Minister about how it plans to prevent a de facto veterinary hard border between England and Wales and protect cross-border farms from economic harm. Chadwick warned that the cost of testing 'is a devastating burden our local farmers cannot afford to take on at a time they are already under such significant financial pressure'. While acknowledging the seriousness of the issue, the Minister declined to commit to additional support, citing devolved powers. 'These sudden and costly changes risk devastating farmers and livestock markets right the way along the border,' said Mr Chadwick. 'Cross-border movement is essential to how agriculture works in this region, it's not optional. If nothing changes, this will do serious damage to rural livelihoods and the local economy. 'We need urgent coordination between the Welsh and UK Governments to ease the burden and protect our farms.' In the Senedd, Jane Dodds raised the impact the policy is having on farmers' mental health, and urged the Welsh Government to work more closely together with a focus on vaccination over an unworkable testing and licensing scheme. Both representatives are calling for a joined-up, four-nation response to bluetongue, including surge funding for testing and vaccination. 'I've spoken with farmers, vets, and local markets and the message is clear, the current plan is unworkable,' said Ms Dodds. 'Testing is costly, slow, and does nothing to support already stressed farm communities. 'Vaccination must be at the heart of our response. We need a united approach between both Cardiff and London that puts farmers' wellbeing and practical realities first.'