THE LEADER of Pembrokeshire County Council, Cllr David Simpson, will step down in May.
Cllr Simpson has led the local authority for seven years. He will stay on as Lampeter Velfrey’s county councillor.

David Simpson became Leader after the Independent Political Group, which governed Pembrokeshire for over twenty years, lost control of the County Council at the 2017 election.
His tenure as Council leader has been unique within Wales.

As an unaffiliated independent councillor, David Simpson has never had the support of a political group’s bloc vote. Instead, his leadership has depended on the support of other unaffiliated councillors, combined with support from Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and Plaid Cymru.

Originally from Barry, David Simpson worked as a youth worker in Grangetown, Cardiff, for several years.

After recovering from a serious work-related injury, he established Glamorgan Cleaning Services, which grew from 2 employees to 200. The company serviced industrial and commercial premises across South Wales.

He became a Justice of the Peace in 1996, and in 2000, after retiring from Glamorgan Cleaning Services, he became a Chair on the Magistrates’ Bench.

He has actively engaged in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme as an Ambassador and strongly supports its efforts to improve young people’s lives and life chances.

Cllr Simpson joined Pembrokeshire County Council after the 2004 local authority election. He was immediately appointed to the Cabinet and remained ever-present until he resigned in 2014. He was also a member of the board of the Pembrokeshire Housing Association until becoming Leader of the Council in 2017.

Cllr Simpson said that leading Pembrokeshire County Council and serving the communities he loves “had been an honour.”

He added: |Councils play a huge role in our everyday lives, from collecting the bins to repairing roads, running libraries, building schools and new homes and providing services for the most vulnerable.

Everything Pembrokeshire County Council does affects everyone living and working in or visiting our County.

“Rebuilding links with communities, making the authority more open and inclusive, and reorganising our services while local government funding has been cut has been difficult.

“The experience of leading Pembrokeshire County Council during the pandemic showed me just how important working together as councillors and communities is.

“We achieve much more together than we ever can separately.

“I am proud to have worked alongside outstanding officers and councillors, but the time is now right for me to step aside and let someone else bring something new to the role.

“My colleagues need certainty for the future. Only with certainty and cooperation can Pembrokeshire County Council meet future challenges. 

“I’ve been lucky to lead an outstanding Cabinet of individuals appointed not because they belong to one group but on their own merit. I hope whoever succeeds me continues to lead the Council by casting the net as widely as possible to serve our communities.

Cllr Simpson went on to say, “When I became leader, the UK’s local authorities had already suffered from years of austerity.

“The Cabinet, Council and I have had to make difficult decisions to meet the challenges we encountered. They haven’t always been popular decisions, but you can’t run vital services on a shoestring, invest in the future by putting off building new schools or fail to meet the increasing demands for social care in our communities.

“I’m particularly proud that we have turned around education in Pembrokeshire after a period of long decline and provided new, better and safer schools and new opportunities for our children and our children’s children. The future matters. We cannot and must not turn our backs on future generations and the most vulnerable in our communities by pretending there are easy answers to complex questions.

“With UK and Welsh Government funding, the Council has begun transforming our town centres. We are building homes for Pembrokeshire’s people. We have built new schools, and we want to build more. We have brought adult social care back in-house.

“We are committed to a more prosperous future for Pembrokeshire as part of the Celtic Sea Freeport project. I would like to pay a special tribute to the colleagues and officers whose unceasing and inspirational efforts made that happen.

“I know councillors want to do more, and I am sure my successor will have their own ideas on how we can do that, but I am sure we will continue to invest in opportunities and facilities that make Pembrokeshire a great place to live, work, and visit.

“If I had to pick things of which I am proudest, it would be lancing the boil of secrecy surrounding the Mik Smith scandal and making sure that Pembrokeshire’s Council Taxpayers are now engaged in our budget-setting process in a way that didn’t happen before.

“Greater transparency has brought greater engagement, which all councillors should be proud of – brickbats and all! 

“We must never return to the bad old days when the ruling group covered up mistakes and wrongdoing.

“I’ve had the support of too many people to mention by name, but I would like them all to know how much I appreciate them and their efforts. Thank you, and thank you to all of the members and officers who’ve helped me, advised me, and even disagreed with me.

“So now it’s time to get off the treadmill.

“I started work at the age of eleven as a delivery boy for a baker in Barry. I got my first mobile phone in 1986, and now it’s time for me to stop living at the end of one. It’s a chance to spend more time with my wife, Chris and our children and grandchildren.

“I’ll still be there to serve my ward and community, but as far as the frontline goes, it’s time to pass on the honour and challenge of being Pembrokeshire County Council’s leader.”