Former Deputy Mayor Cllr Leon Gardiner was elected Mayor of Caerphilly County Borough at the council’s AGM last night, May 14.
Cllr Gardiner, who represents Argoed ward, takes over from Bargoed councillor David Carter who represented the council at official function in 2014/15.
Bargoed councillor Diane Price was elected Deputy Mayor.
The Mayor named Macmillan Nurses and Ty Hafan as the two charities he will funraise for during his year in office and encouraged other councillors to do all they can to help.
He said: “I want to work hard and I hope God is good to give me a good year because it’s on;y for two things and that’s Macmillan and Ty Hafan.”
The AGM began with a minute’s silence for veteran councillor Ray Davies, who passed away on May 7.
This was followed by tributes by council leader Cllr Keith Reynolds, opposition leader Cllr Colin Mann and others, who all praised Cllr Davies for his work for the Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen community and local, national and international campaigning.
Deputy leader Cllr Gerald Jones will resign today after being elected MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.
Cross Keys councillor and former Mayor Michael Gray resigned due to illness after 30 years of service in Caerphilly and Islwyn.
Cllr Reynolds named his cabinet and vowed to “strive to protect frontline services” from the £14m of cuts the council will make this year.
Cllr David Poole was promoted to deputy leader and cabinet member for housing while Cllr Barbara Jones remains the other deputy, also responsible for corporate services.
Cllr Nigel George was promoted to member responsible for community and leisure while all other positions remained the same as last year.
I have started watching the online streams and sitting in on a few meetings, and I have reached the conclusion the whole council is useless, needs to be abolished, and we need a leaner, more efficient streaming. The meetings are an hour of councillors talking nonsense at the taxpayers’ expense.
The problem is that they forget they are actually there to serve the residents of Caerphilly, they believe that simply turning up and going to endless meetings to talk nonsense is fulfilling their duties. I dare say £14m of cuts could easily be made by getting rid of a few layers of highly paid unnecessary middle management.
I have started watching the online streams and sitting in on a few meetings, and I have reached the conclusion the whole council is useless, needs to be abolished, and we need a leaner, more efficient streaming. The meetings are an hour of councillors talking nonsense at the taxpayers’ expense.
The problem is that they forget they are actually there to serve the residents of Caerphilly, they believe that simply turning up and going to endless meetings to talk nonsense is fulfilling their duties. I dare say £14m of cuts could easily be made by getting rid of a few layers of highly paid unnecessary middle management.
Those who aspire to be Councillors and represent the residents of their wards actually do a good job, the problem arises when Councillors, after they are elected publicily state that they do not, and will not, represent certain communities, or individuals who they think they know didnt vote for them, that is dishonesty at the bollot box. It is also a very serious issue of democracy.
Those who work hard DO make a difference for communities, and those who make a ontribution to Council meetings are generally the best of the bunch
Lets not forget that most of the work of Councillors is done in Committees, which are NOT streamed on line, when they are, and, when the CABINET meetings are streamed we may all be able to judge the quality and real contribution each Councillor makes in respect to how our Council is run.
Those who aspire to be Councillors and represent the residents of their wards actually do a good job, the problem arises when Councillors, after they are elected publicily state that they do not, and will not, represent certain communities, or individuals who they think they know didnt vote for them, that is dishonesty at the bollot box. It is also a very serious issue of democracy.
Those who work hard DO make a difference for communities, and those who make a contribution to Council meetings are generally the best of the bunch
Lets not forget that most of the work of Councillors is done in Committees, which are NOT streamed on line, when they are, and, when the CABINET meetings are streamed we may all be able to judge the quality and real contribution each Councillor makes in respect to how our Council is run. Dean and Paul may like to reserve judgement until we can really observe Council business being discussed and decided.