Jacob Williams https://jacobwilliams.com

Cllr. Simon Hancock, cabinet member for Adult Services and Equalities, has just been announced as the successful applicant for the vacant role on the Hywel Dda Health Board.

Cllr. Hancock is, in my opinion, easily Pembrokeshire’s most ‘involved’ councillor. Where outside appointments, senior council duties, body representations and community organisation commitments are concerned, he seems to be way out in front of the 59 others.

He has always come across to me as being conscientious with all of the commitments on his seemingly endless list of extra-curricular activities, and landing this top job can only add to his demands which, clearly, must already require a high level of dedication.

In today’s press release, the health board announces its pleasure at the three-year-long appointment of Cllr. Hancock as the new Local Authority representative. It also tells us he’s a doctoral student. Where does he find the time!

You’ll remember that the position became vacant following the very unexpected resignation of Cllr. David Wildman from public life earlier this year, which triggered a recruitment process that invited applications from councillors serving in the three council areas which make up Hywel Dda.

Cllr. Hancock, who takes up his new post shortly, is quoted: “I am delighted to have been appointed as an Independent Member of the Hywel Dda Health Board after a rigorous and independent recruitment process. I will give total commitment to the role in these highly challenging times for public services.”

Let’s hope that it was, indeed, a more rigorous recruitment process than the one in 2010 which saw his predecessor, David Wildman, being appointed off the back of a character reference provided by an existing board member – news of which was revealed on this website on 12th February this year.

It is unknown how stiff competition was for the role, but there are 176 councillors eligible to apply from within the Hywel Dda area, and I know of at least one other Pembrokeshire councillor who applied but didn’t make it past the first hurdle.

Part of what Cllr. Hancock says is ‘fundamental to the board’s future progress,’ is a board of members who will provide “rigorous challenge to the executive as a means of driving forward improvement.”

I couldn’t agree more! As the sole appointee for all of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, earning an additional £13k+ on top of his Pembrokeshire cabinet member salary which is around the £27k mark; I hope he sticks to his guns and won’t let us all down!

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Better late than never

Following on from my post a week ago last Friday, about PCC’s timing in coming to make a disclosure on my FoI request regarding the Civic Amenity Site application near New Hedges; I received the disclosure on 16th July – on the day before the statutory deadline fell.

Given that PCNPA took only four working days to provide me with their disclosure off the back of a matching request, one wonders how deep some of these files, emails and notes of telephone calls were buried in the email inboxes and filing systems, that required an additional fifteen working days to be discovered and disclosed.

Nothing much to report, really, only that it does appear to me that the council’s officers were genuinely staggered at the opposition the plans were met with from the National Park’s planning officers, and the severity of the recommendation put to park members, for refusal of the application.