A LONG-STANDING county councillor was given a standing ovation from fellow members as he attended his final Full Council meeting, marking the end of an extraordinary five decades of dedicated public service.
Cllr Gareth Morgan, who has been county councillor for Llanidloes since 1973, announced to the chamber on Thursday, May 15 that he was standing down from the role after 52 years.
During his time with Powys County Council, Cllr Morgan held the position of Chair of Council between 1999-2000 also held the position of Board Member for Arts and Culture from the Board’s establishment in 2002 until 2008.
In recognition of his service, Cllr Morgan was presented with a gift by outgoing Chair Cllr Jonathan Wilkinson on behalf of himself, fellow county councillors and council staff.
Paying tribute to Cllr Morgan during Full Council, outgoing Chairman Cllr Jonathan Wilkinson said: “We really appreciate the work that you’ve done here at Powys County Council over a long period of time – it has been an incredible service that you have given.”
Accepting the gift, Cllr Morgan said to councillors: “It has been a wonderful experience being a member of this council from the start in 1973. Throughout the years that I have been member, it’s been such a privilege to among so many friends.
“There is a wonderful atmosphere in this chamber, please do your best to preserve it. We’ve all got differences – we can argue in the chamber but when we leave it, we must forget those and we must be friends.
“This is the way we deliver policies and have the most beneficial effect on the people we represent.”
