It's all change. At Monday night's town council, county councillor Huw Hilditch Roberts was bracing himself as he foresaw a return to opposition at county hall. Since 2017, Hilditch Roberts has been the lead councillor for education.
With the first full council since this month's local election, County Hall car park yesterday was the busiest it has ever been since March 2020
And, yesterday, in spite of a spirited speech to sell himself as the county council's next leader, he lost 27 to 19. Given the majority thanks to the Labour/Plaid Cymru pact, this was inevitable.
The council elected a Prestatyn-based Labour politician as leader. Previous leader independent and farmer Hugh Evans did not stand. This, then, is the first time in over 14 years that Llanelidan's Evans is no longer Denbighshire's leader. He was leader during four terms. Evans represents Llanfair DC & Gwyddelwern and was the consensus leader appointed by his fellow councillors in 2007 after the Estyn education crisis. He has overseen the education recovery, steered the council through the financial crash and associated years of austerity, flooding events and the early reaction to the climate emergency.
There are few councillors within Labour and Plaid Cymru with any cabinet experience. In fact, there's only one. In what he called a 'clear and bold statement' the new Labour leader announced a cabinet post for the Welsh language & the rural economy and this, no doubt, was the result of the Plaid Cymru power sharing agreement. We can expect a couple of cabinet posts for Plaid Cymru. Will there be a role for farmer and Plaid Cymru's seasoned Efenechtyd councillor Eryl Williams? Till 2017, he was a cabinet member. He was also leader from 2002-2004 and a pre-cabinet executive chairman of the council.
So, what can we say about this?
This is also the first time when councillors in the Rhuthun/Ruthin area will hold less power than previously. Since the 2000 introduction of the cabinet & leader system, Rhuthun-based councillors have held the post of leader of the authority for 19 out of 22 years.
There are few councillors within Labour and Plaid Cymru with any cabinet experience. In fact, there's only one. In what he called a 'clear and bold statement' the new Labour leader announced a cabinet post for the Welsh language & the rural economy and this, no doubt, was the result of the Plaid Cymru power sharing agreement. We can expect a couple of cabinet posts for Plaid Cymru. Will there be a role for farmer and Plaid Cymru's seasoned Efenechtyd councillor Eryl Williams? Till 2017, he was a cabinet member. He was also leader from 2002-2004 and a pre-cabinet executive chairman of the council.
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Denbighshire