The member champions role at Powys County Council is set to be scrapped.

On Monday, April 22 the Democratic Services scrutiny committee debated the validity of the role.

In recent years the importance of the role has waned and there are now only three champions when there had been 10 just four years ago.

This is partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions placed on meeting individuals and groups at that time.

They were told by anti-poverty champion, non-affiliated Cllr Joy Jones who has been in the role since 2014, that she had regularly shared information and worked with the cabinet in the past.

But since the new cabinet was formed in 2022 and the “later years of the former cabinet” this had broken down.

Disability champion Cllr Ange Williams of the Independents for Powys group said: “We don’t have any officers or funding, so we do this out of love for the job and the people of Powys.”

The third champion is deputy council leader and cabinet member for a Fairer Powys Labour’s Cllr Matthew Dorrance who is the Armed Forces member champion.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Claire Hall said: “I am very aware of member champions and the positives they bring.

“I think it’s more about influencing policy and strategy across the council and championing that particular interest group – to a certain extent it’s almost a lobbying role.”

Labour’s Cllr David Meredith said that the way of appointing councillors to these roles is “totally undemocratic.”

Committee chairman, Plaid Cymru’s Cllr Elwyn Vaughan said: “As one who was a member champion, what I’m trying to get my head around is: what is the added value?”

Another question he posed is whether member champions do more than ordinary councillors in their day to day roles.

The vote saw four councillors vote for and four against, which meant that Cllr Vaughan as chairman was left with the casting vote.

Cllr Vaughan used his casting voted against the role.

This recommendation to scrap member champions will now go before all councillors at a future council.