THE new role of presiding member has been defended by Blaenau Gwent council leader, Cllr Steve Thomas – after the role was criticised by a senior councillor.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council on Wednesday, October 26, Cllr Julie Holt asked why the role “had not been defined yet?” – five months after Cllr Chris Smith was installed as presiding member.

The role was created by the council at their annual meeting in May and comes with an additional extra responsibility payment that takes the salary up to £25,593 a year.

Cllr Holt was the last chairwoman of the council, and the civic role was abolished in favour of having a presiding member, equivalent to Westminster’s speaker or the Senedd’s presiding officer roles.

Cllr Holt said: “When will we see a job description and what has the presiding member been doing since May?

“What is the difference between the previous role of chair, which I did unpaid and the role of presiding member which attracts £9,000 extra on top of the councillor’s remuneration.”

Council leader, Cllr Steve Thomas said: “At the outset we said we would add to the role as we went through, and some of the duties for it is to be seen and heard outside (the council).”

Cllr Thomas went on to explain that Cllr Smith as presiding member had played a key role during the mourning period following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September.

This included proclaiming King Charles III as the new monarch in Blaenau Gwent.

South Wales Argus: Bg Proclamation - Cllr Chris Smith at the General Office in Ebbw Vale proclaims the accession of King Charles III to the throne. Picture from Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council twitter account.

Cllr Chris Smith at the General Office in Ebbw Vale proclaims the accession of King Charles III to the throne. Picture from Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council Twitter account

Cllr Thomas said: “As we were changing the way the council operated, I felt that the role should be remunerated.

“As we were losing a scrutiny committee, we could do that with no change in the funding.

“I believe the presiding member is doing a fantastic job representing the council in a host of areas.”

He added that if it’s needed, the constitution would be updated to reflect the evolution of the role.

Cllr Holt said: “People can’t see that there’s any difference – we really don’t know what the job description is.”

“The public need to know what they are getting for their money.

“We were doing this before covid hit and for no extra remuneration – at this minute in time it’s not justified.”

Cllr Thomas pointed out the job description had been provided in the documents for the May meeting and that the presiding member’s work had been highlighted in press articles and on the council’s website.

Cllr Thomas said: “If you want us to do more, we’ll do that no problem at all.”

Presiding Member, Cllr Chris Smith said: “I appreciate the concerns – I’m trying to make the role my own and hopefully I will be able to fulfil everyone’s expectations.”

Cllr Sonia Behr said: “I can see so far the role is working and that it takes pressure off the leader who needs to get on with business.

“I wonder if it would be helpful to have a brief maybe quarterly report from the presiding member listing everything he’s done.”

According to the report explaining the role, the presiding member’s duties are:

  • Chair council meetings;
  • Maintain order and to protect the rights of councillors including ensuring that council business is managed on the basis of equality and impartiality;
  • Promote democratic engagement and leadership;
  • Act as the ambassador by attending events in order to publicise and raise the profile of the council.