Kidwelly Town Council
Annual Report 2022-2023
Contents
Mayor’s Report
About Kidwelly Town Council/What we do
Our Councillors
Council Meeting Structure
Officers and Staff
Accounts
The Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015
Mayor’s Report
It is an honour to serve the community as your town mayor for 2022 - 2023. Thank you to the outgoing mayor for your service and I hope to build on the successes of your year. Kidwelly has recently been reported as being one of the top 5 places to live in the UK. It’s great that the town has been recognised for the wonderful place that it is.
Our community groups are the life and soul of what Kidwelly and Mynyddygarreg is. My view is that the council should be there to support and encourage these groups so our town can be even better for everyone.
I’m massively proud of the community and town council’s achievements in developing our parks and playgrounds over the past three years, with over £250,000 invested so far - and something that I’m keen to continue.
The cost of living crisis is a huge worry and the forthcoming year will be challenging for many in our community - with the rapidly increasing cost of energy and food prices being of particular concern. With this in mind I will not be holding a Mayor Making event this year, with monies earmarked for this being redirected to our local food bank to support residents in the coming winter months instead.
We have a number of new councillors joining us this year, and it is wonderful to see so many people volunteering their time to support our community as councillors. I look forward to working with you all in the best interests of Kidwelly and Mynyddygarreg.
Councillor Carl Peters-Bond, Town Mayor
About Kidwelly Town Council
What We Do
Kidwelly Town Council is a major land owner in the area and is responsible for the upkeep of its estate. Kidwelly Town Council also has responsibility for the following:
We are also a general information service for the Town and help co-ordinate various local events in the area.
Housing, highways, planning, refuse collection and schools are the responsibility of Carmarthenshire County Council.
Kidwelly Town Councillors
Kidwelly Town Council is made up of 16 Town Councillors who represent two constituencies – Castle Ward and Mynnd y Garreg Ward. When they become councillors they must agree to act within the law and follow, in particular, the Local Government Act (1972). They are governed by a code of conduct set out by the Public Ombudsman for Wales and must sign a declaration of office to say they agree to work within this code as well as producing a list of interests they hold.
The Town Clerk, as part of her role, summons the Councillors to Council meetings which they have a duty to attend.
Mayor
Cllr Carl Peters-Bond
Independent
Mynyddygarreg Ward
Contact Information
carl.peters-bond@kidwelly.gov.uk
Deputy Mayor
Cllr Carol Morgan
Independent
Castle Ward
Contact Information
carol.morgan@kidwelly.gov.uk
Cllr Gary Beer
Reform UK Wales
Castle Ward
Contact Information
gareth.beer@kidwelly.gov.uk
Cllr Gaynor Bras
Independent
Mynyddygarreg Ward
Contact Information
gaynor.bras@kidwelly.gov.uk
Cllr Jeanette Gilasbey
Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales
Mynyddygarreg Ward
Contact Information
jeanett.gilasbey@kidwelly.gov.uk
Cllr Heike Griffiths
Independent
Castle Ward
Contact Information
heike.griffiths@kidwelly.gov.uk
Cllr Chris Peters-Bond
Independent
Mynyddygarreg Ward
Contact Information
Chris.peters-bond@kidwelly.gov.uk
Cllr Aiden Herbert
Independent
Mynyddygarreg Ward
Contact Information
aiden.herbert@kidwelly.gov.uk
Cllr Simon Ratty
Independent
Castle Ward
Contact Information
simon.ratty@kidwelly.gov.uk
Cllr Liz Reeves-Davies
Independent
Mynyddygarreg Ward
Contact Information
liz.reevs-davies@kidwelly.gov.uk
Cllr Jade Tarsnane
Independent
Mynyddygarreg Ward
Contact Information
jade.tarsnane@kidwelly.gov.uk
Cllr Jonathan Westlake
Independent
Mynyddygarreg Ward
Contact Information
jonathan.westlake@kidwelly.gov.uk
Cllr Dena Lloyd-Waterford
Castle Ward
Councillor Lloyd-Waterford served Kidwelly Town Council for a number of years and was Mayor during the first year of COVID in 2020-2021. She completed her full year of service during 2022-2023, but sadly passed away in May 2023.
Cllr Crish Davies - Castle Ward (Resigned)
Cllr Edan Davies - Castle Ward (Resigned)
Cllr June James - Castle Ward (Resigned)
Council Meeting Structure
Kidwelly Town Council holds monthly meetings of the full Town Council in addition to regular meetings of the following committees:
All Councillors are invited to attend all meetings and the meetings are open to the general public unless excluded due to a confidential item needing to be discussed or an item deemed to be prejudicial to the public interest. This exclusion is carried out under the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960.
During COVID in person meetings were suspended and the council met via the digital platform, Zoom. Kidwelly Town Council currently operates a hybrid system, whereby both councillors and members of the general public are able to attend meetings either in person or over Zoom.
Officers and Staff
Kidwelly Town Council employs four part-time members of staff in order to carry out the business of the Council. For the year 2022-2023 our members of staff are:
KIDWELLY TOWN COUNCIL
ANNUAL ACCOUNTS
2022-2023
(Awaiting audit)
The Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015
The Wellbeing and Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 was enacted to improve the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales and to create a country that all residents want to live in, now and in the future. The Act has requirements of councils with a turnover of over £200,000 per annum or higher as is set out in statutory guidance.
The Act has seven wellbeing goals and five ways of working.
The seven wellbeing goals are:
The five ways of working help public bodies work in a way that is sustainable for the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. They are:
Kidwelly Town Council Priorities
2022-2023
Each decision the council makes must reflect the overall premise of the Wellbeing Act itself. In the table below we show how Kidwelly Town Council’s priorities for our 2022-23 work towards the seven wellbeing goals outlined in the Act.
|
PRIORITY |
Wellbeing goals this priority supports |
|
Redevelopment of Kidwelly Town Square |
1, 2, 5 |
|
Promote Kidwelly’s annual community events, including Carnival, |
3, 5, 6 |
|
Christmas events |
3,5,6 |
|
Maintain play areas |
3,4,5 |
|
Support Playing fields Association |
3,4,5 |
|
Maintain pathways /bridleways |
2,3,5 |
|
Maintain the Quay Glan yr Afon Nature Reserve |
2,3,5 |
|
Support Community Halls Princess Gwenllian Hall Mynydd y Garreg |
2,3,4,5,6 |
|
Support Gwen Gwen Festival August 13th/15th 2022 |
1,5,6 |
|
Support Kidwelly Twinning Association |
2,5,6,7 |
|
Support various community-based groups in the Kidwelly area |
1,2,3,4,5,6,7 |
|
Liaise with Carmarthenshire C.C. for funding initiatives |
1,2,3,4,5 |
|
Manage the Town Council’s tenanted land holdings including the Town Allotments |
1,2,3,4,5,7 |
|
Manage the Town Council’s Cemetery |
1,2,3 |
|
Responsibility for the clock at St Mary’s Church |
2,3,5,6 |
|
Responsibility for the lighting at Kidwelly Castle (negotiating with CADW) |
1,2,3,4,6,7, |
