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A councillor who has served for 46 years has announced he will be retiring at the upcoming council elections in May.

Plaid Cymru councillor Phil Bevan, 85, was first elected to the former Rhymney Valley Council in 1976, and has been a councillor ever since.

He has represented the Morgan Jones ward, having first been elected in the old Caerphilly North ward. While his party were in charge of the council, Cllr Bevan served as the Cabinet Member for Education for eight years.

However, Cllr Bevan will not be seeking re-election on May 5.

Making the announcement, Cllr Bevan said “the time is right” to step down, but confirmed he is seeking re-election for Caerphilly Town Council.

He said: “I’m particularly proud to have helped develop English language education and overseen the growth of Welsh language education in Caerphilly.

“The demand from parents for education in the Welsh language has grown and grown over the years. When I was at Caerphilly Grammar School, the languages choices were French or Latin. How things have changed for the good.

“I was delighted when I was a cabinet member that replacement schools at Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni and Lewis School, Pengam were built.”

Away from council work, Cllr Bevan is a widower and has four children and seven grandchildren.

He spent 38 years working at South Wales Forgemasters in Taffs Well and spent 12 years carrying out land surveys ahead of developments. He also did national service with the Royal Engineers Airborne Division (9th Squadron).

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Deputy Leader Jamie Pritchard, who is also a councillor for the Morgan Jones ward, said: “I would like to offer Cllr Bevan my best wishes for the future.

“Fourty-six years unbroken service is an incredible achievement for anybody, so its right to recognise the role he’s played in such a long time in local government.”