Dr John Glyn Hughes 'honoured' to be made Llanidloes mayor
A former Llanidloes High School headteacher says it is an "honour" to become the town's mayor after serving as a deputy.
Liberal Democrat councillor Dr John Glyn Hughes, of the Clywedog ward, was officially made mayor at a ceremony at the Town Hall in Great Oak Street on Friday, May 9.
Following his election as mayor, historian and author Cllr Hughes said: "It is an honour to serve this wonderful town that I have been a part of for 40 years.'
Cllr Hughes, who retired in 2010 after 26 years as headteacher of Llanidloes High School, paid tribute to 'exceptional' outgoing mayor Cllr Jamie Jones by describing his three-year tenure as an 'extremely hard act to follow".
The mayor will be joined by new deputy mayor Cllr Daniel Craig, of Dulas ward, who works at Llanidloes High School.
Speaking after the results of a vote were announced during a full council meeting at the Town Hall on April 28, Cllr Craig said: 'Thank you to all who supported and those who didn't".
Cllr Hughes' first town council meeting as mayor will include discussions on progress with acquiring a lease on Llanidloes Youth Centre, the re-opening of the Old Market Hall and the Town Hall lift project.
The full council meeting, which is open to members of the public, will next take place on Monday, May 19, at 7pm inside the Council Chamber at the Town Hall in Great Oak Street.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Pembrokeshire Herald
an hour ago
- Pembrokeshire Herald
MP accuses government of rail funding bias as £6.6bn project excludes Wales
David Chadwick calls for rail powers to be devolved to Wales after confirmation East-West Rail brings no funding uplift WELSH Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick has criticised the UK Government after it confirmed that Wales will receive no additional funding from the £6.6 billion East-West Rail scheme, which runs entirely between Oxford and Cambridge in England. Mr Chadwick uncovered the detail through a written parliamentary question answered by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Simon Lightwood. The project has been classified as an 'England and Wales' scheme, despite not including any infrastructure in Wales — a classification that prevents Wales from receiving a proportional share of funding through the Barnett formula. Not happy over rail funding: Liberal Democrat, David Chadwick MP The issue mirrors the controversy over HS2, which was also designated as benefiting both England and Wales, even though the line does not extend into Welsh territory. Independent estimates suggest Wales could have received over £360 million in consequential funding from East-West Rail if it had been classified as 'England only.' Broader estimates indicate that similar misclassifications over the past decade may have cost Wales more than £4 billion in potential funding. In the House of Commons, Mr Chadwick described the decision as 'shocking,' and renewed calls for the devolution of full rail infrastructure powers to the Senedd. He argued that only through devolution can Wales prevent future misallocations and ensure investment in local lines such as the Heart of Wales Line. Speaking after the exchange, Mr Chadwick said: 'It is simply indefensible that Wales continues to be frozen out of hundreds of millions in rail funding for projects that do not lay a single centimetre of track in our country. We saw this with HS2, with Northern Powerhouse Rail, and now again with East-West Rail. Time after time, Wales is left behind.' He added: 'Wales must be able to invest properly in its own rail network. That includes delivering serious improvements to the Heart of Wales Line, which has been neglected for decades. This line is a lifeline for rural communities, supporting jobs, education and tourism, and it deserves the same level of ambition and investment as rail services elsewhere in the UK.' While critics point to a pattern of funding disparities, the UK Government maintains that major rail projects often bring broader economic benefits across the UK, including Wales — for example, through supply chains or job creation. However, Welsh politicians and transport experts have repeatedly argued that these indirect benefits do not match the level of direct investment seen in other parts of the union. The Welsh Government has long advocated for the devolution of rail infrastructure powers, which are currently reserved to Westminster. It has argued that devolution would enable more targeted investment in Wales's underfunded network — a view backed by a growing number of transport economists. Mr Chadwick and the Welsh Liberal Democrats continue to campaign for East-West Rail to be reclassified as an 'England only' scheme and for a fair funding settlement that reflects actual geographic delivery. They are also pressing for urgent investment in rural rail services, particularly the Heart of Wales Line, which connects Swansea to Shrewsbury via mid Wales.
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
MP: Grenfell-style mistakes could be repeated over battery storage regulation
Liberal Democrat John Milne said there were 'alarming parallels' with the systemic failure which led to the west London tower block fire. Currently there are no laws which specifically govern the safety of battery energy storage systems (Bess), according to the House of Commons library. However, individual batteries could be subject to product safety regulations. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Milne accused the Government of being 'too complacent' as he called for enforceable regulations for the design and construction of the storage systems. The MP for Horsham said: 'The Grenfell disaster was the end result of many failings by both individuals and companies, but at its heart it was a failure of regulation. 'The rules left things wide open for exploitation by cost-cutting developers, and that is exactly what happened. 'Just as with lithium-ion batteries, a new technology, in this case cladding, was being used at scale for the first time without proper understanding of the risks. The time to act is now.' He continued: 'The Government itself has responded to all questions from myself and others to say that it considers the present regulatory regime to be robust. I am tempted to say pride comes before a fall. 'In the last few weeks a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesman has stated that battery fires at storage sites are rare in the UK, we already have high standards in place that require manufacturers and industry to ensure batteries are safe throughout their lifespan. 'This is just too complacent. 'Fires as a result of cladding were also incredibly rare, but that did not save 72 lives at Grenfell.' Grenfell Tower (James Manning/PA) Mr Milne said the industry would benefit from clear guidance, before adding: 'Any guidance needs to cover-off a number of areas, including transport of batteries to the site, design and construction, fire-fighting, ongoing inspection and decommissioning. 'In the short term, if the Government is for any reason still reluctant to regulate, perhaps it could issue clear national guidelines which are capable of being updated annually. 'Enforcement might then take place through the insurance industry, who would be likely to insist that any new applications followed such guidelines, as no project can go ahead without insurance, it is enforcement by the back door. 'Grenfell was a wholly predictable tragedy. A similar fire at Lakanal House in Camberwell, which killed six people, should have made us understand the risk, but the warning wasn't heeded and history took its course. 'We can't go back in time to stop Grenfell, but we can act now to avoid making the same mistake again with battery energy storage systems.' Elsewhere in the debate, Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire Greg Smith said there should be minimum distances between battery storage sites and housing. Mr Smith said: 'This is not a debate about the principle of energy storage, although I am in principle opposed to such schemes taking agricultural land and challenging our food security, but today's debate, which is deeply concerning, and what this House must urgently address, are the real, growing, and too often overlooked safety implications of these installations, particularly when placed in close proximity to villages, and rural road networks ill-equipped to support them.' He added: 'At the very least the Government should introduce clear national guidelines on the siting of Bess installations, including minimum separation distances from residential properties, fire resilience standards, mandatory site-specific risk assessments and restrictions on placing these facilities on, or near, rural roads.' SNP MP for Aberdeen North, Kirsty Blackman, said developers should pay towards fire mitigation measures. She said: 'If we're saying to those organisations that are creating the battery storage sites, you will need to pay for the fire safety assessment, you will need to consult the local fire and you will need to pay for the training of those local fire teams in tackling fires at battery energy storage sites, I think that would be the most reasonable way forward. 'Ask them to pay for that training, because it's them that are going to be making a huge profit off it.' Energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said: 'It is often claimed that there is no regulation in this sector because there is no specific law addressing battery safety. This is simply untrue. 'The safety and standards of batteries are assured throughout their life cycle. The Government is therefore confident that the safety risks posed by grid-scale batteries are relatively small and well managed.' She added there is 'scope to strengthen' the planning process.
North Wales Chronicle
2 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
MP: Grenfell-style mistakes could be repeated over battery storage regulation
Liberal Democrat John Milne said there were 'alarming parallels' with the systemic failure which led to the west London tower block fire. Currently there are no laws which specifically govern the safety of battery energy storage systems (Bess), according to the House of Commons library. However, individual batteries could be subject to product safety regulations. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Milne accused the Government of being 'too complacent' as he called for enforceable regulations for the design and construction of the storage systems. The MP for Horsham said: 'The Grenfell disaster was the end result of many failings by both individuals and companies, but at its heart it was a failure of regulation. 'The rules left things wide open for exploitation by cost-cutting developers, and that is exactly what happened. 'Just as with lithium-ion batteries, a new technology, in this case cladding, was being used at scale for the first time without proper understanding of the risks. The time to act is now.' He continued: 'The Government itself has responded to all questions from myself and others to say that it considers the present regulatory regime to be robust. I am tempted to say pride comes before a fall. 'In the last few weeks a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesman has stated that battery fires at storage sites are rare in the UK, we already have high standards in place that require manufacturers and industry to ensure batteries are safe throughout their lifespan. 'This is just too complacent. 'Fires as a result of cladding were also incredibly rare, but that did not save 72 lives at Grenfell.' Mr Milne said the industry would benefit from clear guidance, before adding: 'Any guidance needs to cover-off a number of areas, including transport of batteries to the site, design and construction, fire-fighting, ongoing inspection and decommissioning. 'In the short term, if the Government is for any reason still reluctant to regulate, perhaps it could issue clear national guidelines which are capable of being updated annually. 'Enforcement might then take place through the insurance industry, who would be likely to insist that any new applications followed such guidelines, as no project can go ahead without insurance, it is enforcement by the back door. 'Grenfell was a wholly predictable tragedy. A similar fire at Lakanal House in Camberwell, which killed six people, should have made us understand the risk, but the warning wasn't heeded and history took its course. 'We can't go back in time to stop Grenfell, but we can act now to avoid making the same mistake again with battery energy storage systems.' Elsewhere in the debate, Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire Greg Smith said there should be minimum distances between battery storage sites and housing. Mr Smith said: 'This is not a debate about the principle of energy storage, although I am in principle opposed to such schemes taking agricultural land and challenging our food security, but today's debate, which is deeply concerning, and what this House must urgently address, are the real, growing, and too often overlooked safety implications of these installations, particularly when placed in close proximity to villages, and rural road networks ill-equipped to support them.' He added: 'At the very least the Government should introduce clear national guidelines on the siting of Bess installations, including minimum separation distances from residential properties, fire resilience standards, mandatory site-specific risk assessments and restrictions on placing these facilities on, or near, rural roads.' SNP MP for Aberdeen North, Kirsty Blackman, said developers should pay towards fire mitigation measures. She said: 'If we're saying to those organisations that are creating the battery storage sites, you will need to pay for the fire safety assessment, you will need to consult the local fire and you will need to pay for the training of those local fire teams in tackling fires at battery energy storage sites, I think that would be the most reasonable way forward. 'Ask them to pay for that training, because it's them that are going to be making a huge profit off it.' Energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said: 'It is often claimed that there is no regulation in this sector because there is no specific law addressing battery safety. This is simply untrue. 'The safety and standards of batteries are assured throughout their life cycle. The Government is therefore confident that the safety risks posed by grid-scale batteries are relatively small and well managed.' She added there is 'scope to strengthen' the planning process.
