Wool should be used to drive the economy of Powys, just as it did in the 19th century, councillors have said.

Powys Council's full meeting this week agreed to back a motion to support the agriculture sector and promote wool – including by using a £110 million growth deal for the region to support the establishment of a major wool research centre in the county.

It comes more than a year after Plaid Group leader Cllr Elwyn Vaughan proposed the motion.

Cllr Vaughan said: “I want Powys the home of the largest wool grading centre in the UK at Newtown and a town that’s been built on the back of the wool trade to benefit and see a cluster of enterprises in the area using wool, the promotion of innovation and new ideas from international lessons.

“In doing so we would make the area proud of its tradition whilst maximising economic potential for the area.”

Cabinet member Cllr Myfanwy Alexander said: “In its heyday wool was the absolute driver of the economy in Powys, it’s wool that built the Pryce-Jones building.

County Times: Cllr VaughanCllr Vaughan

“I’d like to put some emphasis on the environmental aspects, it’s a naturally occurring substance, is you put it in the sea it disappears, a micro-fibre fleece will have particles that stay in the sea forever.”

Cllr Alexander also believed that people should wear more wool.

Council leader, Cllr Rosemarie Harris – who is also joint-chairman of the Growing Mid Wales Board that steers the Growth Deal, said: “The sheep trade is quite good but that relates to meat, sadly wool has become seen as more of a by-product than what it was.

“There are many more uses than just clothing or carpets.”

Cllr Harris explained that to benefit from the £110 million Growth Deal, the idea would need to go through a five-case business model – but said she was happy to take forward a feasibility study.

Cllr Gwilym Williams wondered what the British Wool Marketing Board had been doing to help the sector.

Cllr Williams said: “They are the ones who have the control, the price is disgraceful, the high cost of products has been mentioned, who’s making the money as it’s not the producer.”

Cllr William Powell congratulated Cllr Vaughan for having the “resilience” to keep plugging away to get the motion discussed.

One of the issues that has meant the motion has taken over a year to discuss, is that a dispensation was needed from the standards committee to allow councillors with an interest in farming issues to debate agriculture without being excluded on conflict of interest grounds.