There can be few better known faces in the village of Sennybridge than Councillor Evan Morgan – who celebrates an amazing two decades of service with Brecon Beacons National Park Authority this year.
Recently re-elected as Chairman of the Planning and Rights of Way committee at the AGM on Friday 26th June, there was a special break in proceedings to congratulate Cllr Morgan for his twenty years of service to the National Park Authority.
New Chairman Mrs Melanie Doel presented Cllr Morgan, who was taken completely by surprise, with a specially engraved glass plaque and clock marking the occasion as sign of personal appreciation from the Members of the Authority. She said:
“Cllr Morgan’s service to the National Park Authority is an incredible achievement and I would personally like to thank him for everything he has done.
“The National Park Authority has seen many changes and challenges over the years, and given the current political context, Cllr Morgan has achieved an incredible feat by serving 20 years as a Powys County Council appointed Member for Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. This just goes to show how much the communities of the National Park and the Council respect him. Cllr Morgan is a wonderful ambassador for this National Park and is highly regarded among his fellow members and the people of Sennybridge.”
Former Chairman Mrs Julie James spoke warmly of Cllr Morgan’s service to the Authority.
“When I was first appointed to the National Park Authority 10 years ago, I very quickly found myself identifying with the wise words of Cllr Morgan. Later when I became Chairman, he was always a wonderful source of guidance and I had a huge respect for his depth of knowledge of the National Park and its communities.
“The greatest debt we owe Cllr Morgan is the thorough and painstaking approach he took getting our Local Development Plan adopted in 2013. I do not know of another Member who has served on the National Park Authority for so long, so we thank him for his impressive effort as he continues to successfully Chair the Planning and Rights of Way committee with wise judgement and the greatest of respect from all officers and members.”
Cllr Morgan was first appointed to the old National Park Committee in 1995, when John Major was Prime Minister and the creation of a Welsh Government was still three years away.
From 1967, he has fought and won 9 local elections and attended thousands of committees and functions on behalf of the National Park Authority.
He was Mayor of the Borough of Brecknock in 1993-1994, the second Chairman of the Powys Unitary Authority in 1997-1998 and the Chairman of the National Park Authority in 1999-2001 – the only person to have held the Chair of all three Authorities.
He is the longest serving Member for Brecon Beacons National Park Authority and has not only led the Authority as Chairman in 1999-2001 but is also its longest serving Planning and Rights of Way (PAROW) Chairman – an unopposed role which he was reappointed to on Friday 26th June for the fifth year running.
Cllr Evan Morgan said:
“When I was first appointed to what was the old National Park Committee in 1995, I never could have envisaged still being a Member here 20 years later.”
Cllr Morgan was also quick to pay tribute to the support of his wife Marjory, who he has been married to for 51 years. “Without her support I would not be here today, in fact I could not have done any of it without my family as I’ve probably spent more time in the offices of the Authority and Powys County Council than I have at home on the farm,” he said.
“I have been involved in planning in some form or another since 1983, and I think my proudest moments have been watching the improvements unfold in Development Control and Enforcement. They are now one of the best performing planning authorities in Wales and this is huge achievement that the National Park Authority should be immensely proud of. I am delighted to be reappointed as the Planning and Rights of Way Chairman so we can continue this journey.”
