Wynne Jones to leave council

Powys County Council’s Deputy Leader Wynne Jones is standing down with a warning about education reform.

He announced that he will not be seeking re-election in May within hours of successfully gaining approval for the 2017/18 budget.

The Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance announced that he will not be seeking re-election to the council at the May elections.

“As I look back on my time at council there will be only one regret, and that is that during my time we were unable to take forward the very much needed transformation of our education service.

“We are in big danger of letting down our children to whom a high quality education is vital, so I really hope that the new Council will have the political appetite needed to take the difficult decision needed for the benefit of our children.”

Cllr Jones added: “This decision has been made for some time but in order to protect the integrity of the council’s budget process I have been unable to announce it until after the budget went through.

“I have found the work at council quite stressful in recent months with some niggling health issues occurring and in addition to that I owe it to my wife to spend more time with her and that in turn will allow us to spend time with our six young grandchildren who currently we hardly ever see.

“Council has been far more than a full time commitment for me and I feel I have achieved much at both ward and county council level.”

Representing the Dolforwyn Ward at Abermue he has been a member of the council for 14 years and has previously held the portfolios for Regeneration and Highways.

In addition he also held the position as Chair of Scrutiny for two years and served on several outside bodies including WEFO Performance Monitoring Committee, All Wales Flood Defence Committee and as a Director of Tourism Partnership Mid Wales.

He is also the Leader of the largest Political Group on Powys County Council, the Powys Independent Alliance.

Cllr Barry Thomas, Leader of Powys County Council, said: “I’d like to thank Cllr Jones for his hard work, commitment and loyalty since becoming deputy leader and portfolio holder for finance.

“Cllr Jones has worked tirelessly with other portfolio holders as the Cabinet addressed the significant financial challenges the council has faced during these difficult times of austerity.

“He has been instrumental in establishing the three-year budget planning cycle which has given us time to plan the necessary changes to meet the budgetary pressures we face until 2019. During the term of this council, £65m of savings have been made.

“Part of his legacy is leaving the council’s finance portfolio on a sound footing. I wish him all the best for the future.”