Setting up a corporation to drive projects and create income will be the focus of Rhayader’s new mayor
Setting up a corporation to drive projects forward and hopefully create an income stream will be the focus of Rhayader’s new mayor
Councillor Christian Walton was elected as the town’s mayor for 2025/2026 at the annual meeting.
Councillor Walton, who has been the mayor once before, takes over the role from out-going mayor Councillor Clare Evans.
Councillor James Stuart was elected as the deputy mayor for 2025/26.
Councillor Walton said: “I am more of a doer and I like to do things quietly in the background but I am proud to be the mayor again and I am very proud of Rhayader and how well it does.
“But the year ahead will be daunting too.
“I am looking forward to it but there is the stuff given to us by Powys County Council and that takes away from what we like doing, which is looking after town.
“My major thing is to try and set up a Rhayader and Cwmdauddwr Corporation, we have been talking about it for a few years. It would allow us to bring in other local groups and people with skills and expertise to drive projects forward and hopefully create some income.
“I feel we need some way of earning money which we have tried in the past with the caravan park etc but if we can earn money we can then spend it on our town. It’s no good asking for the town to bear the costs all the time.
“But I do have concerns, like the rest of the council about the future of our leisure centre, that is our number one issue, we don’t want to lose that and Sustainable Powys, the community asset transfers which we have shown interest in with Powys County Council and we have not had responses – but I think it’s a sign of the times.
“I hope the leisure centre will stay as it is to be honest.”
Out-going mayor Councillor Evans thanked all the members of the council and the clerk for their hard work and support during her year in office.
“I think it’s been a more challenging year as mayor this year than the previous two or three times I have done it because we seemed to be discussing the same issues at the end of the year as we were at the start such as Sustainable Powys and possible service cuts.
“We have been disappointed at the lack of communication from Powys County Council over various issues and that has been a major frustration.
“But I am pleased that Waun Capel Parc is being reinvigorated, a great new enduro is coming back to Rhayader for the second year in a row and it has been a year of reflection with commemorations for the 80th anniversary of D Day and VE Day, the 100th anniversary of Rhayader town clock and we marked, for the first time the crash of a Halifax bomber in the Elan Valley in 1944 which killed eight young Canadians.
“We have traced most of the families, held a memorial, laid wreaths for them at Remembrance Day and we are hoping to develop a permanent memorial for them in the Elan Valley in the coming years.”
