Powys town mayor 'not planning' to run for second term

Having served as mayor for just under one year, Cllr Nick Howells announced at a Welshpool Town Council meeting on Wednesday, April 3, that he would not be running again when his first term ends in May, meaning another councillor will be elected to the position.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Howells clarified that he was not resigning from the position as such, simply choosing not to run again for the position one year on from his appointment as mayor, marking the end of his first term.

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He said: “To put it simply I’m rather fed up with all the negativity in the council chamber, at times I’d even call it disgraceful.

“I want to qualify that the disgraceful behaviour in question does not reflect the work of most councillors in Welshpool, who do plenty of good work serving the town. It’s more of a minority that unfortunately takes over a lot of the discussion.

“I might not even mind so much if we were at least making progress on these issues, but so many points get delayed, bringing things up that aren’t on the agendas while other points get deferred to future meetings, as we go round in circles. It can feel like a room divided between talkers and doers.”

Cllr Howells was first elected as mayor in May 2023, with the council unanimously voting in favour of his appointment to the position, while Cllr Geoffrey Lanagan won a vote to become deputy mayor.

Cllr Howells added: “I’m not resigning from the entire council, I’m just not planning on running again once my term ends on May 14.

“I will remain on as a councillor, continue to be involved in meetings and still chair the committees I’m currently involved with.”