Every four years you get the chance to decide who you want to represent you on Powys County Council. In just six months’ time, you will again have that opportunity to cast your vote.
The Council is currently run by an administration of Liberal Democrat and Powys Independent councillors and it is effectively these councillors that have appointed 10 of their own to run the council.
Next week, Powys County Council’s 10 member cabinet will announce its plans on its school modernisation programme and its preferred way forward. At this stage we know very little about the final set of proposals but the Council has insisted that all 13 secondary school sites will remain open. However it is obviously a worrying time for pupils, parents, teachers and governors whose futures hang in the balance. Many Year 11 pupils are making decisions about their A levels and where to study them right now. I attended nearly all of the public meetings in Montgomeryshire earlier this year and I can tell you quite categorically that there was next to no support for the options the Council was putting forward.
The Welsh Conservative group on the Council was not happy that the final decision should stay with just the 10 cabinet members, due to the controversial and divisive impact that the potential ‘modernisation’ plans will have in the County. They, as many others did, believed that any final decision should be made by the full Council of 73 members and a motion to allow this to happen was put forward at a recent meeting. The Welsh Conservative, Labour and Shire Independent groups all voted in favour of the motion, whilst the majority of the Liberal Democrat and Powys Independent councillors voted against. The ruling groups narrowly won the vote and it will now be left to the 10 member cabinet to have the final word on these plans.
This week, I took it upon myself to ask a few people at random what they knew about these 10 Liberal Democrat and Powys Independent councillors that make up the cabinet. Some knew very little, others mentioned that these were the 10 that voted to give themselves a 40% increase. However, the one consistent response that was given to me was that it was these 10 that orchestrated the vote so that the final decision on the future of our schools should be made by them, rather than all the elected councillors across Powys.
As we edge closer and closer to the elections next May, I would fully expect “the 10” to be telling us what they intend to do if a Liberal Democrat and Powys Independent council is returned to office and to demonstrate that their recent 40% pay increase (a raise from what the previous board members received) is fully justified. I should say at this point, that indeed some of the 10 have written letters in the County Times attempting to do just that. It is now for you the voter to decide to accept or reject what they have done in your name.
If you are not happy with what the Council has done, you can naturally exercise your democratic right and vote against them. But why not go one step further; why not consider putting yourself forward and stand for public office?
I know dozens and dozens of people who with a spirit of altruism, personal integrity, conviction of purpose and individual responsibility would excel in representing their community; and it is that aspect which is the most important feature of the job. The greatest privilege anyone can have is to serve other people. The job is not easy nor should it be but it is one of the most rewarding experiences you will have. If you are interested to know more, please do contact me and I would be happy to discuss with you my own experiences as a County Councillor and what the job entails.
I will leave you to think about this proposal with a twist on the immortal words uttered by US President John F. Kennedy at his inaugural address: “Ask not what your county can do for you but ask what you can do for your county!”