Carmarthenshire County Council Chief Executive Mark James has announced his decision to retire.

Mr James, who has served the council for 17 years, will retire later this year when he turns 60.

He has spent over 40 years in local government, taking up post in Carmarthenshire in March 2002 and previously serving as Chief Executive at Boston Borough Council.  He has also worked in Westminster and Barnet in London.

His service to local government saw him awarded the CBE in the Queen’s 2012 New Year Honours.

Carmarthenshire County Council will now begin the process to recruit a new Chief Executive before Mr James leaves in June.

“It has been an honour and privilege to lead a great team of officers at Carmarthenshire over the last 17 years,” he said.

“The Council has delivered so much over that time including the development and regeneration of Carmarthen Town Centre, Eastgate and Y Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli town centre, Machynys, Parc y Scarlets, Pemberton, Burry Port Harbour and Xcel Bowl. We have delivered new care homes, £250m of new schools all over the county including Bro Dinefwr and QE High, a new leisure centre in Carmarthen, business and retail parks in Cross Hands, invested £220m modernising our 9000 homes and became the first in Wales to build new council homes since the 1980s, and so much more.

“I have been delighted to be part of this exciting regeneration of our County. I want to pay tribute to the many Councillors who have helped to shape this programme of development and to thank them for their support and confidence.”

He added: “Having been a Chief Executive for over 23 years, it is now time to hand over the reins. Whilst it is a rewarding and satisfying job, it is also highly demanding and all-consuming.  I wish my successor all the very best and know that the fantastic team of officers at the Council will continue to deliver first class services and developments for Carmarthenshire.”

Cllr Emlyn Dole, Leader of the Council, said: “Mark has been a great leader and ambassador for Carmarthenshire.  He has delivered so much in his time as Chief Executive and we will miss him enormously. 

“I thank him for his tireless dedication to the County and for his unstinting and selfless work to regenerate Carmarthenshire. We owe him a huge thanks and gratitude for all he has done over the past 17 years.”

Cllr Mair Stephens, Deputy Leader of the Council, added: “Mark has truly been Mr Carmarthenshire. Over the years he has shown how much he cares for Carmarthenshire – whether that be just recently personally visiting and supporting residents and businesses in the communities affected by floods, or working tirelessly to secure millions of pounds to transform our schools and towns and create employment for local people.

“His guidance and dedication is something we have come to rely on.  He will be a hard act to follow, but we wish him all the very best. He leaves with our enormous thanks for a job very well done.”

Motorsport and television legend Tiff Needell has been signed up to be one of the hosts of the brand new Superprix of Wales at the Parc y Scarlets rugby stadium in Llanelli.

A weekend of wonders is promised when the high-octane Superprix of Wales motorsport extravaganza comes to Llanelli on the weekend of June 7-9 next year.

Tiff Needell is one of a number of big name attractions being announced over the coming weeks.

Stars of the world of Formula 1 (F1) racing will be announced as the line-up is assembled for an action-packed weekend of wonders at Parc y Scarlets.

Tiff Needell is a former co-presenter of the hugely-popular Top Gear and Fifth Gear shows.

As a racing driver, Tiff took part in the F1 circuit, Formula 3 races, drove at Le Mans and in the British Touring Car Championships.

As a motoring journalist, he is one of the most recognisable faces and voices in the world of motorsport.

He once drove a McLaren F1 XP5 prototype to set the fastest lap record at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, over a 2-mile (3.2 km) banked circuit. An average speed of 195.3 mph (314.3 km/h) was attained, with a maximum speed of 200.8 mph (323.2 km/h).

The organisers of the brand new Superprix of Wales have given the ‘Green for Go’ to start online ticket sales for next summer’s big event at the Parc y Scarlets rugby stadium.

Event promoter Tim Matthews, a retired international racing driver, said at his Llanelli HQ this week that Tiff Needell would be just one of a number of star attractions at the Superprix of Wales motorsport extravaganza.

He added: “Tiff is a very good friend and we are delighted to be able to have him on board as one of our hosts for what promises to be a spectacular weekend.

“Ticket sales are live online via our website and Ticketmaster. There’s just 28 weeks to go before what will be a world first – a unique blend of Rugby Union and international motorsport at Parc y Scarlets. This will be a truly unique event and we are hoping for sell-out crowds throughout the weekend.”

Tickets for the Superprix of Wales for the 7th, 8th, 9th June 2019 are also on sale through the Parc y Scarlets ticket office on 01554 292939.

You can find out more about the Superprix of Wales on the following website –

Twitter:

@SuperprixW 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superprix.wales/

Instagram:

superprixwales

Photos:

Tiff Needell

Links to previous stories –

There’s a familiar friendly face back at Arthur Cambrey Funeral Directors Ltd, Llanelli’s longest-established, independent, family-run funeral company.

Karl Jenkins has returned to the company after 17 years.

Karl started his career with one of Llanelli’s local heroes, the man known to one and all as Mr (Arthur) Cambrey.

Karl was 20 when he studied all aspects of the funeral trade under Mr Cambrey’s expert guidance. Karl gained his Diploma in Funeral Directing in 1988.

Karl said on his return to the business:

“Mr Cambrey was an enormous source of inspiration to me and did so much to guide me and allow me to make my own path, in my own right, as a Funeral Director.

“Returning to the company at this time was an easy decision as this is a highly-respected and admired family-run business which reaches out to those who need empathy and support during the sad loss of a loved one. This caring and personal approach is of great importance to me.

“I am very much looking forward to continuing the highest standards of care and quality of service offered by Arthur Cambrey Ltd. I hope that I can share the wealth of experience that I have gained through many years of service to the community as a Funeral Director.”

Also joining Karl on his return to the business is Funeral Arranger Amanda Lloyd, who has worked with Karl in the funeral profession for many years.

Karl and Amanda will be joining a strong team which has been led by Alison Cambrey since her father, Mr Cambrey, died in 2012.

Arthur Cambrey Ltd business director Alison Cambrey said:

“We are delighted at Karl’s homecoming to the place where his career began. Karl’s career has gone from strength to strength and together (Karl and myself and all our loyal staff) will continue to provide families in Llanelli and beyond with the highest class of empathy, care and support during their sad time of loss.

“I know that my father would have welcomed Karl back to the business and would be delighted in this latest development at Arthur Cambrey Ltd, a name synonymous with providing caring, dignified and quality funeral services for more than 70 years in Llanelli and West Wales.”

Photos:

Alison Cambrey and Karl Jenkins (selected photos).

Alison Cambrey pictured with her late father Mr Arthur Cambrey. Photo by Peter Owen Jones Photography.

Karl Jenkins pictured with Mr Arthur Cambrey when he first joined the firm. Photo by Peter Owen Jones Photography.

 Llanelli Rural Council invited Hywel Dda University Health Board representatives to one of its council meetings as the council gears up to scrutinise the Health Board’s ‘Transforming Clinical Services Health and Care Strategy’. 

The health strategy was approved by the Health Board in late November 2018 and going forward it will be translated into a suite of services designed to meet the needs of the public and key groups in a major overhaul of health care services across the health board region. 

Council Leader, Cllr Tegwen Devichand commented: “The Council has been keeping its powder dry up to this point because of the uncertainty over the preferred model to be adopted by the Health Board in regard to the extent of services to be retained at Prince Philip Hospital. 

“Now that we know what the preferred option is, the council has been keen to impress upon the Health Board how it intends to hold it to account by proactively scrutinising the rolling out of the strategy – a process which is likely to take many years to achieve. 

“During the council meeting, members made representations to Health Board officials for the council to serve on its project board overseeing the transformation agenda and in a similar role to that served previously when the council sat on the Front of House Project Board overseeing the transformation of the A&E service at Prince Philip. 

“The council believes this will be the most effective mechanism to hold the Health Board to account with it providing the local community with the peace of mind knowing it will have a strong local voice representing their interests when it comes to scrutinising the transformation programme. 

“The council’s work will also look to establish close collaboration with other important stakeholders. To this end the council intends inviting back Community Health Council officials to a council meeting in the New Year in order to find common ground on how best we can work together to safeguard important hospital services.”

A man caught fly-tipping in Llanelli has eventually had his day in court – six months after his father was found guilty of the same offence.

Renny Price, 22, of Edgemore Close, Upper Killay, Swansea, must pay over £770 in fines and costs for fly-tipping and not having a waste carriers licence.

He admitted dumping bags of waste, a mattress and household items at land to the rear of the Shell Garage in Dafen Road on August 27, 2017.

Carmarthenshire County Council enforcement officers noted the registration of the white Ford Transit Tipper seen driving past the forecourt CCTV camera loaded with waste items, and returning empty just three minutes later.

Just a few days later, by chance, the officers saw the van being driven near Trostre in Llanelli, and followed it to the Queensway in Swansea where they approached the driver, Renny Price.

He admitted dumping the rubbish in Dafen, stating he thought the area was a ‘tip’ for waste. He also admitted not having a waste carriers licence, saying he believed he was covered by his father’s, despite not being employed by him.

His father, Rennie Price, was a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the offence.

The council sent letters to the address provided, only to find out later from the landlord that they no longer lived there.

Officers then enlisted the help of Dyfed Powys Police and a warrant was issued for their arrest.

His father was brought to court in July 2018 where he admitted fly-tipping and was fined £745, plus £430 costs and victim surcharge.

Price junior took longer to bring to justice, but appeared at Llanelli Magistrates Court on January 4, 2019, where he was fined £360 for the fly-tipping offence, £50 for having not having a waste carriers licence, and ordered to pay £360.24 costs.

Price told the court he was sorry for his actions.

Cllr Philip Hughes, Executive Board Member for Enforcement and Public Protection, said: “It took over a year to bring this man to court, but the persistence of our officers, with help from Dyfed Powys Police, meant that we have finally brought him to justice.

“There is never an excuse for fly-tipping – it is unsightly, dangerous, and costly to clear. There are proper means for everyone to dispose of their waste responsibly, it’s a shame that some people choose not to use these facilities.”

 Related links:

• Fly tipping
• Report fly tipping

A free tool to find out all the available community facilities on offer in the county has been launched by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The council’s Property Division has contacted the county’s public sector, town and community councils, third sector and local businesses, to create a ‘one-stop-shop’ of all the locations in Carmarthenshire which provide venues for meetings, events and more.

The project is supported by One Voice Wales.

Cllr David Jenkins, executive board member responsible for resources, said: “This is a great free service to promote many venues in the county, which will hopefully increase business and provide additional income to them. It will also make it easier for those who are searching for meeting or venue locations in the county to find them all with one click of a button.”

 Related link:

• Find a venue

 Contact:

For more information on how to provide your details please contact the Property Records Team.

 01267 246222