Powys County Council discusses Sustainable Powys plan
Communications must improve if Powys County Council is to succeed in its bid to get a sustainability bid off the ground.
The authority wants to create 'Sustainable Powys' and has already had meetings with town and community councils.
Apart from the framework of five core towns from where council services will be centred upon, little detail on the future shape of Powys has been made public so far.
At a meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee last week, members received an internal audit report from SWAP (South West Audit Partnership) who had evaluated the 'delivery arrangements' for Sustainable Powys.
SWAP assistant director Ian Halstead said one of the areas of improvement was around communication.
He said that all parties need to have a 'realistic understanding and expectation' of Sustainable Powys and how it 'turns from concept through to delivery.'
Cllr Pete Lewington said that the report did not tell him 'how effectively' the council had engaged with partners and explained what Sustainable Powys actually means.
Cllr Lewington said: 'Effective engagement is really crucial, especially when you think about what your asking communities to do.
'This should be beyond just measuring the numbers of participants especially as conclusions and decisions are reached by extrapolating from a very small number of participants.'
Cllr Graham Breeze said: 'I've attended two public engagement meetings with community councils over the last couple of months.
'The feedback there was that community councils have not grasped this yet and didn't understand it.'
Director of Corporate Services Jane Thomas said the 'initial engagement' done with Powys councillors, the wider public and town and community councils had 'set some foundations.'
She explained that Powys Council had just finished its 'second tranche' of town and community council meetings.
Ms Thomas told the committee that she had met with Cllr Sian Cox, the portfolio holder for adult social care, and council leader Cllr Jake Berriman to 'consider the effectiveness of what we are currently doing.'
Ms Thomas said: 'We don't believe they (engagement sessions) are being effective either, and we are reflecting on that and changing the way we are doing that."
'This is so we get that buy-in from communities to work with us, which we clearly don't have at this point in time. We know there is some work to do.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
a day ago
- Powys County Times
Powys Council planning committee chairman re-elected
Powys County Council's planning committee chairman will remain in the hotseat for at least another year. Councillor Gareth D Jones was re-elected at a behind closed doors annual meeting of the Planning, Taxi Licensing and Rights of Way committee on Thursday, May 22. Cllr Adrian Jones was also given the thumbs up and voted in to continue as the committee's vice-chairman. The role of committee chairman comes with a senior salary, which will mean that Cllr Gareth Jones will receive £9,886 on top of the councillor's basic salary of £19,771, Likewise, as vice-chairman Cllr Adrian Jones will receive half a senior salary worth £4,943 on top of the basic. The council was asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) why the meeting which was closed to the press or public had not been published online later – as has been the case in the past. A council spokesman said: 'The meeting was held via (Microsoft)Teams. 'It lasted three minutes as no change to the elected positions of chair and vice chair.' Last year Cllr Gareth Jones, who represents Llanfair Caerenion and Llanerfyl, took the chair from previous incumbent Cllr Karl Lewis by just one vote.
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Powys County Times
Powys County Council discusses Sustainable Powys plan
Communications must improve if Powys County Council is to succeed in its bid to get a sustainability bid off the ground. The authority wants to create 'Sustainable Powys' and has already had meetings with town and community councils. Apart from the framework of five core towns from where council services will be centred upon, little detail on the future shape of Powys has been made public so far. At a meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee last week, members received an internal audit report from SWAP (South West Audit Partnership) who had evaluated the 'delivery arrangements' for Sustainable Powys. SWAP assistant director Ian Halstead said one of the areas of improvement was around communication. He said that all parties need to have a 'realistic understanding and expectation' of Sustainable Powys and how it 'turns from concept through to delivery.' Cllr Pete Lewington said that the report did not tell him 'how effectively' the council had engaged with partners and explained what Sustainable Powys actually means. Cllr Lewington said: 'Effective engagement is really crucial, especially when you think about what your asking communities to do. 'This should be beyond just measuring the numbers of participants especially as conclusions and decisions are reached by extrapolating from a very small number of participants.' Cllr Graham Breeze said: 'I've attended two public engagement meetings with community councils over the last couple of months. 'The feedback there was that community councils have not grasped this yet and didn't understand it.' Director of Corporate Services Jane Thomas said the 'initial engagement' done with Powys councillors, the wider public and town and community councils had 'set some foundations.' She explained that Powys Council had just finished its 'second tranche' of town and community council meetings. Ms Thomas told the committee that she had met with Cllr Sian Cox, the portfolio holder for adult social care, and council leader Cllr Jake Berriman to 'consider the effectiveness of what we are currently doing.' Ms Thomas said: 'We don't believe they (engagement sessions) are being effective either, and we are reflecting on that and changing the way we are doing that." 'This is so we get that buy-in from communities to work with us, which we clearly don't have at this point in time. We know there is some work to do.'
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Powys County Times
A look back at life in Llandinam in the early 2000s
WELCOME to another stroll down memory lane as we celebrate the village of Llandinam. Perhaps best known as the birthplace of Victorian industrialist and philanthropist David Davies, 1st Baron Davies of Llandinam, the village is inextricably linked to the Davies family's legacy. Davies, a self-made man, rose to prominence through his work in railway construction and coal mining, becoming a significant figure in the development of modern Wales. His impact is felt throughout the region, and Llandinam serves as a tangible reminder of his accomplishments. Llandinam Primary School was initially slated for closure as part of a broader education review in the Llanidloes area in 2013. However, Powys County Council's Cabinet voted to keep the school open. The village was also once home to a pioneering football club which was one of the oldest in the region but sadly Llandinam Football Club has risen and folded several times over the past 125 years. Jane France Curtis, Kate France and Eirlys Jones behind the bar of the Lion Hotel in Llandinam in 2005. (Image: County Times.) Llandinam Flower and Music Festival memories from 2005. (Image: County Times.) Llandinam Primary School's garden was officially opened in 2004. The opening of a new IT suite at Llandinam Primary School in 2004 thanks to donations from the PTA, Celt Power and the Gwendolyn and Margaret Davies charity. (Image: County Times.)
