A Newtown county councillor has been named Cabinet Assistant for the Nature Emergency.

The Leader of Powys County Council has announced the appointment of two Cabinet Assistants to support the work of portfolio holders in key areas.

Councillor Adam Kennerley, Member for Newtown North and a member of the Liberal Democrat Group, has been named Cabinet Assistant for the Nature Emergency and Forden and Montgomery Member, Councillor Jeremy Brignell-Thorp, who is a member of the Green Party, has been named as Cabinet Assistant for the Climate Emergency.

The appointment for Cllr Kennerley comes on the back of his Nature Emergency motion which was approved at the last full meeting of the County Council.

The new assistants will have specific roles, attend and contribute to cabinet meetings but they will not have voting powers. The roles will support the work of portfolio holders but will not have delegated powers and cannot deputise for Cabinet Members at Scrutiny committees. 

Council Leader Councillor James Gibson-Watt said:

“Cabinet Assistants will support the work of portfolio holders and jointly chair a cross-party Climate and Nature Steering Group. The Steering Group will agree a work programme which will report to the cabinet on a quarterly basis.

“We hope the Steering Group will set up ad hoc working groups on specific topics, establish external stakeholder groups on climate and nature to support their work and report annually to full council.

“The new roles, which are unpaid, will bring additional skills around climate and nature emergency, areas that are key to everything we do.”