Council u-turn expected over champion roles

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Newtown county councillor Joy Jones could keep her role as anti-poverty champion following a backlash to proposals to scrap the role, with two other champion roles expected to now remain until until the next Powys County Council elections in 2026.

But incumbents, Cllr Jones (Powys Independents) the anti-poverty champion, Cllr Ange Williams (Powys Independents) the disability champion and Cllr Matthew Dorrance (Labour) the armed forces champion, will need to apply to keep their roles.

An updated report was in front of councillors at a meeting of the Democratic Services committee on Monday, which included the results of a questionnaire sent out to councillors asking for their views and ideas for other member champion roles to add to the three.

At a council meeting in July, councillors rejected the committee’s recommendation to scrap the role and asked the committee to look again at the issues.

Head of Business Intelligence and Governance, Catherine James said:  “We sent out a questionnaire during September asking councillors what member champions were required, and we had 14 responses back.

“It was re-sent to encourage additional uptake, and we had 20 responses back.”

This is 20 out of a total of 68 Powys councillors.

Committee chairman (Powys Independents) Cllr Graham Breeze said that the committee needed to be “quite specific” about what it wanted to do with the roles.

Conservative Cllr Pete Lewington said: “I am struggling with this.

“We’ve only had 20 responses which is less than a third of councillors and seven of those said they didn’t want member champions.

“So really we just have 13 councillors engaged and wanting member champions.

“For me this can’t work if the councillors aren’t engaged and don’t see it as necessary.”

Plaid Cymru group leader Cllr Elwyn Vaughan was chairman of the committee when it had voted to scrap the role back in April.

Cllr Vaughan said: “I have been of the opinion that these posts are surplus to requirements to the council hierarchy, obviously full council did not agree with that.”

“Based on the responses, can I suggest we stick to the three we currently have until the next election, and then the new authority can take stock of things.

“We have much more important things as a council to sort out.”

Cllr Gareth E Jones (Powys Independents) backed the move, which was then put to the vote.

The majority of committee members agreed to the suggestion with one councillor abstaining.

The recommendation to just keep the three roles along with the previously agrees changed appointments process will now go to a future council meeting for a decision in the new year.

Councillors' suggestions included creating member champion roles for agriculture and rural affairs, economic development and regeneration, culture, heritage and the arts, and older adults and an ageing population.

One councillor had also suggested the council needs a “communications champion” because: “I feel the communication between senior officers and the cabinet with county councillors, town and community councils and the public is at a very low level.”