Earlier this week, Bridgend Council held its (virtual) Annual General Meeting (AGM) – which you can watch here. The main items of business at an AGM involve appointing office holders for the coming year.
As the sole nominee for Mayor of Bridgend County, Cllr. Ken Watts (Ind, Newton) was unanimously appointed to take over from Cllr. Stuart Baldwin (Lab, Morfa).
The new Mayor acknowledged the challenge of fulfilling the role in the present circumstances and with an election due next year. He pledged to support community events and charities wherever possible whilst keeping the pandemic in mind. He added that it was important for all members to set an example for citizens by abiding by pandemic rules and working together to provide the services the public expects.
His chosen charities are Parkinson’s UK and Epilepsy Society.
There was a contest for the Deputy Mayoral position, with Cllr. John Spanswick (Lab, Brackla) elected ahead of Cllr. Altaf Hussein (Con, Penyfai).
With the ceremonial positions out of the way, the Council Leader, Cllr. Huw David (Lab, Cefn Cribwr), made a single change to his cabinet. There has been speculation that a Covid-19 recovery role might have been created, but the Leader opted to keep the Cabinet relatively small (by Welsh local government standards).
After ten years, Cllr. Phil White (Lab, Caerau) retired to be replaced as Cabinet Member for Social Services & Early Help by Cllr. Nicole Burnett (Lab, Morfa) – first elected in 2017.
The Leader paid tribute to Cllr. White’s “tireless service” as a “passionate champion for carers, children and older people”. Cllr White said his successor would be backed by an excellent team, though he admitted that he’s found virtual meetings difficult.
