Powys Council planning committee chairman re-elected
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
Council postpones decision over new Desford housing estate
A proposed new housing estate in Leicestershire was likened to a "really unpleasant rash" by a councillor as a local authority voted to postpone a decision on the to build 120 homes at Ashfield Farm, off Kirkby Road, Desford, were approved by the government in 2023 after Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council rejected the proposals four Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said Davidsons Development hoped to move forward with the next stage of the scheme, including details like the layout of the estate, and the size and style of the the council raised concerns about the number of private roads in the plans and this week voted to defer a decision. 'Just keeps coming back' Councillors on the authority's planning committee also expressed concerns over proposed management fees to pay for the future upkeep of the development's roads, labelling them as "stealth taxes".They also criticised the site's layout, such as the positioning of green spaces next to open fields rather than between new and existing homes, and called for a traffic management plan to be provided before construction Richard Allen said: "I've been dealing with this one for longer than I care to remember. "It's like one of those really unpleasant rashes which just keeps coming back."Warning that the council was "storing up problems for the future" by approving developments with lots of unadopted roads, council leader Stuart Bray said it was a "real problem"."What happens is that people buy these new houses," Bray said. "They get all excited. And they don't realise in 10 years' time they're going to end up with a huge bill to repair the roads."I want us to take the strongest line that we can possibly take to make sure that as many roads in this borough going forward are adopted."Richard Henderson, a planning manager at Davidsons, said the scheme would be "high quality" and "well designed", adding the 40 affordable homes were a voted unanimously to defer the decision so planning officers could discuss the committee's concerns.
Belfast Telegraph
16 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Daughter's bedtime story encouraged NI councillor to seek help for mental health amid local suicides
Donal McMahon, Local Democracy Story A councillor has opened up about how his daughter's bedtime story gave him the courage to get help for his mental health. Mark Gibbons said a 'brave rabbit' in the book prompted him to be brave himself and admit he needed help after going through a difficult period in his life. And the independent elected rep added that he is speaking out amid a number of suicides in the area he represents. As well as seeking the help of a counsellor, Mr Gibbons – a published author himself – also found support at the Rostrevor men's shed. The Newry, Mourne and Down District Crotlieve councillor spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service this week on doing the 'best thing he ever did' in opening up on his feelings. He said: 'What sparked off going public for me, was that this past couple of weeks there have been a number of suicides across the district and the vast majority have been men. 'I just said to my wife: 'Claire… look I need to reach out here to people to let them know what I went through and it's ok, you can speak out and ask for help, you just need to be a little bit brave and do it.'' The recently published Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency statistics show the rates of suicide at 220 a year. The suicide rate per 100,000 population was higher among those with a marital status of single or divorced, compared to those recorded as married or widowed. It was councillor's own struggle with mental health that helped him to focus more on his pastime of writing, which resulted in his first supernatural fiction book set the surrounding landscape of his home village of Rostrevor. The local postman managed to turn his hobby into a life-saving method of being creative and went on to publish a book entitled 'Cloch Mor Lore' under his pen name 'Frank O'Neill'. Though, it was a different book of children's fiction that actually gave him the courage to pick up the phone to ask for help. He added: 'I was reading a book my daughter has about a wee rabbit and he has to be a little bit brave all the way through the story and I just thought of that, to be a little bit brave and reach out. 'Last year there were a couple of big things that happened in my life and I had to reach out to somebody and it's the best thing I ever did. If it helps even just one person, who reads about this and thinks well if that man can open up to the public then I can make a quick call for a couple of minutes and get help.' The creation of Men's Sheds has become a well regarded phenomenon in recent times for providing social gatherings which are beneficial for mental health and friendship. The sheds encourage people to come together to make, repair and repurpose, as well as supporting projects in their local communities. The ethos is to improve wellbeing, reduce loneliness and combat social isolation. Councillor Gibbons added: 'Everything is good now for me. The Rostrevor Men's Shed has also been a huge help, and always has been. In a nice twist of irony, the very shed I wanted to create for people who might be struggling with their mental health ended up helping me when I was at my lowest. 'These days, I can only make it on a Wednesday evening because of Saturday work commitments, but even one night a week makes a big difference. And to see the Shed celebrate its 10th anniversary is truly fantastic. They are a wonderful group of men. 'My writing helps too. Taking the councillor hat off, even for an hour, and putting the Frank O'Neill one on gives me space to breathe and do what I love. I'd be lost without it, and I love getting lost within it.' He continued: 'If you're feeling low, find people, a club, or an activity you've always enjoyed. For me, it's my family, my community work, my writing, and the Shed. They all play a big part in my mental wellbeing. 'You are not alone. And never be afraid to reach out to a counsellor if you need to. It's a hard call to make, but a game changer when you do.' Information and contact details for local Men's Sheds can be found online. Anyone who needs to talk to someone about mental health issues can call the Samaritans on 116123 or Lifeline on 0808 808 8000.
Belfast Telegraph
17 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
NI councillor says daughter's bedtime story encouraged him to seek help for mental health
Donal McMahon, Local Democracy Story A councillor has opened up about how his daughter's bedtime story gave him the courage to get help for his mental health. Mark Gibbons said a 'brave rabbit' in the book prompted him to be brave himself and admit he needed help after going through a difficult period in his life. And the independent elected rep added that he is speaking out amid a number of suicides in the area he represents. As well as seeking the help of a counsellor, Mr Gibbons – a published author himself – also found support at the Rostrevor men's shed. The Newry, Mourne and Down District Crotlieve councillor spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service this week on doing the 'best thing he ever did' in opening up on his feelings. He said: 'What sparked off going public for me, was that this past couple of weeks there have been a number of suicides across the district and the vast majority have been men. 'I just said to my wife: 'Claire… look I need to reach out here to people to let them know what I went through and it's ok, you can speak out and ask for help, you just need to be a little bit brave and do it.'' The recently published Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency statistics show the rates of suicide at 220 a year. The suicide rate per 100,000 population was higher among those with a marital status of single or divorced, compared to those recorded as married or widowed. It was councillor's own struggle with mental health that helped him to focus more on his pastime of writing, which resulted in his first supernatural fiction book set the surrounding landscape of his home village of Rostrevor. The local postman managed to turn his hobby into a life-saving method of being creative and went on to publish a book entitled 'Cloch Mor Lore' under his pen name 'Frank O'Neill'. Though, it was a different book of children's fiction that actually gave him the courage to pick up the phone to ask for help. He added: 'I was reading a book my daughter has about a wee rabbit and he has to be a little bit brave all the way through the story and I just thought of that, to be a little bit brave and reach out. 'Last year there were a couple of big things that happened in my life and I had to reach out to somebody and it's the best thing I ever did. If it helps even just one person, who reads about this and thinks well if that man can open up to the public then I can make a quick call for a couple of minutes and get help.' The creation of Men's Sheds has become a well regarded phenomenon in recent times for providing social gatherings which are beneficial for mental health and friendship. The sheds encourage people to come together to make, repair and repurpose, as well as supporting projects in their local communities. The ethos is to improve wellbeing, reduce loneliness and combat social isolation. Councillor Gibbons added: 'Everything is good now for me. The Rostrevor Men's Shed has also been a huge help, and always has been. In a nice twist of irony, the very shed I wanted to create for people who might be struggling with their mental health ended up helping me when I was at my lowest. 'These days, I can only make it on a Wednesday evening because of Saturday work commitments, but even one night a week makes a big difference. And to see the Shed celebrate its 10th anniversary is truly fantastic. They are a wonderful group of men. 'My writing helps too. Taking the councillor hat off, even for an hour, and putting the Frank O'Neill one on gives me space to breathe and do what I love. I'd be lost without it, and I love getting lost within it.' He continued: 'If you're feeling low, find people, a club, or an activity you've always enjoyed. For me, it's my family, my community work, my writing, and the Shed. They all play a big part in my mental wellbeing. 'You are not alone. And never be afraid to reach out to a counsellor if you need to. It's a hard call to make, but a game changer when you do.' Information and contact details for local Men's Sheds can be found online. Anyone who needs to talk to someone about mental health issues can call the Samaritans on 116123 or Lifeline on 0808 808 8000.
