Shropshire Star

Frustrated councillor questions the role of members

A councillor has questioned the differences that can be made by elected members.

Published
Councillor Graham Breeze

County councillor Graham Breeze, who represents Welshpool, has been in post for a year after being elected at a by-election following the death of long-serving Councillor Ann Holloway.

Prior to his time at County Hall he sat on Welshpool Town Council and played a hand in decisions made by the town authority.

However he has questioned his time as a county representative, after going into the role with a burning desire to change things.

He said: "I’ve just completed my first year as a Powys County Councillor and found myself questioning whether I have made the differences I set out to achieve as a raw newcomer back in October, 2016.

"There’s a simple answer - no.

"I suspect every new councillor sets out with the same burning desire to make a name for themselves, give the establishment a firm kick up the backside and tell those long-standing politicians just where they had been going wrong.

"The reality of course is very different."

"Around 30 new councillors won seats on Powys Council in May, a time when I had to fight my second election in five months to avoid becoming the council’s shortest serving member on record. They arrived with the same raw enthusiasm that I had experienced.

"Six months later it’s a vastly different picture and I suspect quite a few are already wondering what they have let themselves in for."

Councillor Breeze also believes walking into a 'council crisis' did not help, with austerity measures set to roll on for years, and the damning inquiry into childcare services at the council.

He added: "If it wasn’t bad enough that the ruling independent group was forced into a coalition with the Conservatives to win a majority there was the news that austerity measures passed down from above will last for years to come.

"Add to that an independent inquiry revealing that the council’s childcare services are in tatters, the worry that investigations could reveal a similar pattern in adult care and the sudden departure of the chief executive on sick leave and you begin to see why a councillor’s lot is not a happy one."

The councillor is a familiar face around Welshpool and mid Wales for his long career as a journalist and as a football manager

He is up for the challenge in the coming months but believes the days of being a county councillor are not what they were.

He added: "Personally I’m up for the challenge, as difficult as it may be.

"I’ve not changed the world yet but I have made some valuable progress on matters affecting my own ward and Welshpool in particular – despite finding many of the barriers difficult to break down. And I will continue to make my voice heard for the people of Welshpool.

"What is strikingly obvious though is that being a county councillor is not what it was. Gone are the days when councils had money to burn.

"For the foreseeable future members face the difficulty of explaining to their constituents why services will continue to be cut or lost completely.

"Not the role many were hoping for perhaps."