Latest news with #PowysCountyCouncil
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Business
- 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
3 days ago
- Business
- 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
3 days ago
- Business
- 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.)
Powys County Times
3 days ago
- General
- Powys County Times
Powys: Ysgol Bro Caereinion head and deputy to leave posts
The headteacher and deputy head at at Powys bilingual secondary school have announced they will be leaving at the end of the current school term. Powys County Council confirmed that headteacher Huw Lloyd-Jones and deputy Edward Baldwin, from Ysgol Bro Caereinion, both tendered their resignations, which have been accepted by the Llanfair Caereinion school's governing body. They have been in their positions for more than three years. The council also added that both the governing body and council are 'working closely' to 'explore all options' for leadership of the school heading into the new school year in September 2025. A spokesperson for Powys County Council said: 'We can confirm that the headteacher and deputy headteacher at Ysgol Bro Caereinion have tendered their resignations, which have been accepted by the school's governing body. 'The governing body is working closely with the council to explore all options for the school's leadership from September 2025 onwards.' Mr Lloyd-Jones and Mr Baldwin first took on the leadership role at Llanfair's school in January 2022, when it was announced they had been chosen as the head and deputy head of the new school following a merger between the sites of Llanfair Caereinion C.P School and Caereinion High School, which officially opened in September 2022. Mr Lloyd Jones, a fluent Welsh speaker who attended Ysgol Gyfun Dyffryn and graduated from Lampeter University, was assistant headteacher at Ysgol Llanfyllin, bringing experience of working within all-age schools. On being appointed headteacher in January 2022, he said: 'It is a huge honour and privilege to be appointed as the Headteacher of Ysgol Bro Caereinion. 'The school's vision to deliver the best opportunities for all pupils through high-quality bilingual education chime closely with my own. I look forward to joining the community, getting to know pupils, staff and parents, and building new relationships." At the time, Cllr Phyl Davies of Powys County Council said: "I would like to congratulate Huw and Edward on their appointments as headteacher and deputy headteacher at Ysgol Bro Caereinion.
Powys County Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Powys County Times
Plans for extension to Greenhouse café near Montgomery
A café that is run alongside a horticultural business near Montgomery could continue to grow after plans for a kitchen extension were given the thumbs up by Powys planners. Earlier this year, Marcus King of King's Nurseries at Garthmyl lodged a planning application with Powys County Council to extend the kitchen at the Greenhouse café onto the car park. The café was opened in 2022, has an area of 271 square metres, and the extension would provide a further 40 square metres to the building. Planning agent Frederick Carter explained the café, which was originally constructed for visitors to the nursery in 2022, has become successful in its own right. Mr Carter said: 'The growth of the business and its ethos to provide locally sourced quality ingredients has led to more in-house production of food, including baked goods. It is for this reason the café requires an extension to meet the demands of this growing enterprise.' The proposals would be built on an existing area designated for parking north of the café. Part of the original concern with the café plans going back to the original application in 2020 is that the site is in a flood zone near Llifior Brook. Mr Carter said: 'As the café extension will be sited in an area with potential to flood it will be raised up to protect the structure, with attenuation storage held for use by the nursery for plant watering more than accommodating the volume of water displaced by the development.' Mr Carter added: 'The business has grown substantially and this additional growth will support the existing business allowing for increased development and diversity for the site with the potential to grow the local economy by providing additional employment for the area.' Berriew Community Council discussed the proposal at a meeting in April and supported it. Planning officer Natalie Hinds said: 'A Flood Consequence Assessment (FCA) has been submitted and reviewed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW). 'The design and access statement confirms that the structure will be raised, in line with NRW's assumption that the finished floor levels will match those of the existing café. 'As such, no objection has been made, and the development is considered to be acceptable.' 'It considered that the proposed development does fundamentally comply with relevant planning policy. 'The recommendation is one of conditional consent.'
