Pembrokeshire County Council
Pembrokeshire County Council Cyngor Sir Penfro | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | of the county council |
| Leadership | |
Chair of the Council | Cllr Simon Hancock, Non-aligned since 2019/20 |
Leader of the Council | Cllr David Simpson, Non-aligned since May 2017 |
Leader of the Opposition | Cllr Jamie Adams, Independent Group |
Chief Executive | Ian Westley since 25 May 2017 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 60 |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
First election | 4 May 1995 |
Last election | 4 May 2017 |
Next election | 5 May 2022 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| County Hall, Haverfordwest | |
| Website | |
| http://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk | |
Pembrokeshire County Council (Welsh: Cyngor Sir Penfro) is the governing body for Pembrokeshire, one of the Principal Areas of Wales.
Leadership[edit]
Cllr David Simpson was elected as the new council leader on 25 May 2017, after the previous leader Jamie Adams had withdrawn from the contest.[1] The council had previously been controlled by the Independent Plus Political Group (IPPG), of which Cllr Adams was a member, but their numbers were slashed from 33 to 13 at the May 2017 election. Cllr Adams blamed the IPPG's close connections to the discredited former chief executive. Cllr Simpson is unaffiliated to any group.[2] Cllr Simpson leads a cross party Democratic Coalition of progressives and moderates.
| Leader | From | To | Party/Group | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Simpson | May 2017 | Independent (Democratic Coalition) | ||
| Jamie Adams | May 2012[3] | May 2017 | Independent (IPPG) | |
| John Davies | June 2004[4] | May 2012 | Independent (IPPG) | |
Political makeup[edit]
Elections normally took place every four years. The last elections were on 4 May 2017. The 2021 elections were postponed to 2022 to avoid a clash with the 2021 Welsh Parliament election.
Current composition[edit]
| Group affiliation[5] | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-aligned |
22 | |
| Independent Group | 12 | |
| Conservative | 11 | |
| Labour | 7 | |
| Plaid Cymru | 6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | |
| UKIP | 1 | |
| Total |
60 | |
Historic results[edit]
| Year | Independents | Labour | Plaid Cymru | Conservative | Liberal Democrats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 34 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 1 |
| 2012 | 43 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| 2008 | 42 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| 2004 | 40 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| 1999 | 38 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 1995[6] | 41 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Electoral divisions[edit]
The county is divided into 60 electoral divisions, each returning one councillor. Some of these divisions are coterminous with communities (parishes) of the same name. Most communities have their own elected council. There are ten town councils and 52 community councils in the county. The following table lists council divisions, communities, and associated geographical areas. Communities with a community council are indicated with a '*':
Criticism[edit]
The council received criticism for having leased a Porsche sports car for its former chief executive, Bryn Parry-Jones, who was paid £192,000 a year and then received a £277,000 pay-off when he left the post in 2014.[7]
See also[edit]
- 1995 Pembrokeshire County Council election
- 1999 Pembrokeshire County Council election
- 2004 Pembrokeshire County Council election
- 2008 Pembrokeshire County Council election
- 2012 Pembrokeshire County Council election
References[edit]
- ^ "David Simpson elected new Leader of council". The Pembrokeshire Herald. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ^ "Jamie Adams: I wouldn't change how we handled Bryn Parry-Jones situation". Western Telegraph. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ^ ""Grave concerns" over troubled Pembrokeshire Council's child safeguarding issues". Wales Online. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ "County Council Leader wins top award". Tivyside Advertiser. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ "Your Councillors". mgenglish.pembrokeshire.gov.uk. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- ^ http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/?page_id=2401
- ^ "Porsche for council boss appalling, Leighton Andrews says". BBC News. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.