Council elects first ever woman leader

Richard Evans, local democracy reporter

Deganwy councillor Julie Fallon has been appointed as the new leader of Conwy County Council, becoming the first woman ever to lead the authority.

At a special meeting at Conwy ’s Coed Pella HQ this morning (Wednesday), Cllr Fallon of the Conwy First Independent Group was elected with 40 votes to Abergele councillor Paul Lucock’s seven, with one abstention.

The vote follows former leader Cllr Charlie McCoubrey, also of the Conwy First Independent Group, stepping down, with the special meeting being his last as leader.

Cllr Fallon, who has held the cabinet position for education, told the chamber she would not let them down.

“Thank you everybody. I promise I won’t let you down,” she said.

“I meant every word that I said in terms of I want to be approachable. Feel free any of you at any time to come and knock my door.

“We’ve got 18 months. It’s not a long time, so let’s work together and make this the best 18 months it can be. Let’s get on with it.”

She added: “To be the first female leader is a real honour.”

Presentation

Having been put forward by Penrhyn Bay councillor Chris Cater, Cllr Fallon gave a presentation to the chamber before the vote.

“My vision is communication, communication, communication, because I think that’s really important,” said Cllr Fallon.

“We hear all the time how people are negative about the council. They think that all we do is empty bins, and we do so much.

“So I want to be a voice for us and for our staff. I want to take the opportunity – I haven’t quite worked out whether that’s weekly or fortnightly – but I want to start videos and travel around the whole county, visiting our staff, who do fantastic work, and start to change that messaging out there and show what a brilliant council we are.”

Cllr Luckock was put forward by fellow Citizens First Alliance member Cllr Dave Jones, who said the Abergele councillor would bring something dynamic to the council.

‘Machiavellian’

In his speech, Cllr Luckock said he would not be “Machiavellian” if voted in and said he would do his best to always provide as much information as possible.

Cllr Luckock had vowed to always look at the facts, reach conclusions, and make difficult decisions.

But during the digital ballot, there appeared to be some disruption in the chamber when councillors’ votes flashed on screen during the online meeting, with rumblings from members that the ballot was supposed to be held in secrecy.

Stepping down, Cllr Charlie McCoubrey thanked the other councillors for their support during his time as leader during the last four and a half years.

During his speech, Cllr McCoubrey revealed personal struggles, including personal loss, injury, and wanting to spend more time with his family.

“I do know that I have absolutely given it my all,” he said.

“It’s been an honour and a pleasure to take that role. It’s been fulfilling in some respects, really enjoyable, but in other aspects over the last three years, it has been particularly gruelling, and that’s been the most challenging part of the job for me.”

He added that the gravity of decisions made by the leader “took its toll on individuals”.

Cllr McCoubrey said he was looking forward to spending more time with his family and outlined significant personal sacrifices he’d made during his time as leader.

He added: “There are many qualities of leadership, and an underrated one is having the ability to understand that you are no longer the best person to lead, so for the reasons I’ve given, I think it’s absolutely time for change.

“We need a new leader who will bring more energy and fresh ideas and have the ability to build a cabinet around them who will support them. I remain 100% committed to the work of this council.”

Announcements of the new cabinet roles are expected to follow.