A county councillor from Brecon has been appointed the new Chairman of Powys County Council.
Cllr Paul Ashton, who represents St. Mary ward in Brecon, was elected chairman at the council’s annual meeting yesterday (Wednesday 13 May), succeeding Cllr Roche Davies, local member for Llandinam.
Originally from Wolverhampton, Cllr Ashton moved to Brecon 32 years ago. He is married to Valmai and they have two children.
Cllr Ashton has been a county councillor since 2003 following a by-election. During his time with the county council, he has been Chair of Brecknockshire in 2010/11.
He has been a town councillor with Brecon Town Council since 2008, where he held the position of Mayor of Brecon for 22 months between 2011 and 2013. Cllr Ashton is also a member of the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority and is currently a school governor and both Mount Street Infants and Mount Street Junior schools.
Accepting the position, Cllr Ashton said: “It is a great honour to serve my adopted county as Chairman of Powys County Council and I will be supporting the Alzheimer's Society over the next 12 months.
"This is a charity close to my heart as I have cared for elderly relatives in the past who suffered from dementia. I want to ensure that those in the county living with dementia and their carers benefit from the support, knowledge and understanding they need."
Elected Vice Chairman of the council at the same meeting was Cllr Keith Tampin, local member for Llandrindod East / Llandrindod West, and Cllr Dai Davies, local member Berriew, was elected Assistant Vice Chairman.
Pictured at the presentation (above) of the chain of office are (from left to right) are Cllr Dai Davies; new Chairman Cllr Paul Ashton; Cllr Barry Thomas, Leader of Powys County Council; outgoing chairman Cllr Roche Davies; Chief Executive Jeremy Patterson; and Cllr Keith Tampin More stories