Powys councillors are to be given the chance to call for the county to become the heart of the wool industry in the UK.
A motion will be put in front of members in November calling for the Mid Wales Growth Deal to include a research programme for the UK wool industry.
It comes after Cllr Elwyn Vaughan, who has been pushing for the scheme, was given special dispensation to lay the motion before the council by a standards committee on Wednesday.
He had needed special dispensation to bring the motion because otherwise too many councillors would not have been able to vote on it because they have farming links themselves, and may have had to step back from discussing it.
Cllr Vaughan told the committee that as his own brother farms, he may have had to declare an interest in his own motion.
Cllr Vaughan said: “The danger is that we could end up with a farcical situation where only a handful of people could take part in a motion and discuss it.
“In terms of this motion wool is an international commodity and anything we would do to add value locally would hardly affect the situation.
“The litmus test should be is there a direct financial gain or benefit to the members in light of the motion.”
His request was used as an opportunity by the committee to discuss the principle of whether bringing in a wider blanket dispensation on farming issues would be helpful.
Independent member Christine Mulholland said: “I don’t personally feel comfortable expanding this to include other items that may or may not impact on farming.
“We do have a process for getting dispensations and we ought to stick to that, rather than us setting down a blanket dispensation that covers all sorts of things.”
Cllr Kathryn Silk said: “I am bothered that extending it more broadly does lead us potentially to be seen as feathering our own nests.
“Considering each and every motion individually on its own merits shows us in a better light, it’s more open and transparent to the public.”
She pointed out that with the advent of online meetings, organising committee meetings to discuss dispensations can be done “relatively easily”.
The committee agreed Cllr Vaughan’s request and will look at the precise wording of the dispensation before finalising it.
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