Members of Welsh Newton Llanrothal Group Parish Council

                                                                              Cllr. Mr. Craig D. Bligh (Chairman)

Tel 01600 714451
Cllr. Craig Bligh has lived in the area for 12 years and within the Parish since 2004, having previously lived in East Sussex. He joined the Council in 2009 and was first elected Chairman in 2011.  With a background in various manufacturing businesses in the UK and Australia, Craig is the Managing   Director of a Lighting Control company which is based in the                                                                                       region and operates throughout the UK.  Craig is married with                                                                                   two adult daughters.

Cllr: Mr. Steve Wilkes (Vice-Chairman)
Tel 01989 770689
Councillor Wilkes has lived in the parish all his life and attended Welsh Newton V.C. Primary School and Ross Secondary Modern School. After leaving school he was employed by a Welsh Newton Common based building company “Carpenter Brothers”. For the last twenty-six years he has been a self-employed general builder working mainly within a fifty mile radius of home, Councillor Wilkes married     in 1985 and has two children one at university studying                                                                                                Medicine & Medical Psycology and the other at John Kyrle                                                                                          High School. He became a Councillor in 2000 and was                                                                                                  Chairman from 2003 until 2009 and is the current Vice-                                                                                              Chairman

Cllr. Mr Martin P.F. Barter
Tel 01600 712744

Martin joined the council in 2016. Having worked locally and abroad, in agriculture, he now runs a company manufacturing warm stylish clothing. Although not born in the parish, many antecedents were and he has been associated with the area all his life

 

Cllr. Mr. Keith Simmons
Tel 01600 715667
Keith has lived in the parish since 2009 and joined the parish council in 2011. He previously lived in Monmouthshire and prior to that East Anglia and the South East. His career is in house-building, working for Taylor Wimpey. Keith is married and has a young family.

 

Cllr: Ms. Elissa Swinglehurst
Tel 01989 770038
Elissa moved to the parish in 2003 and has served on the parish council since about 2004. During this time she has applied for and obtained funding for the Community Access Point which ran for two years. She had been actively engaged in the Parish Plan and lead the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group. Special areas of interest include planning, public rights of way, the laws on flooding and the responsibilities of landowners in regard to drainage and hedges. In 2014 she                                                                                            wrote and directed the community play ‘Welsh Newton to                                                                                            Wipers’ as an act of remembrance.             

  Cllr: Ms Debbie Clarke

Tel: 07715282733

Debbie has lived at Welsh Newton Common her whole life and her family located there at the turn of the century.
Debbie attended Llangrove Primary School and went on to study at Hereford Cathedral School for seven years.  Debbie is a singer by profession and studied the classical voice for four years at The Royal Academy Of Music in London and in 2006 was a finalist in the Young Welsh Singer Of The Year.  In 2010 she was signed to Warner Music for four years and her debut pop/folk album‘ Manhattanhenge ’,was produced by Tony Visconti (Bowie).  Her second pop EP ‘Choose Our Own Adventure’ was also released by Warner in 2012.

 

 Cllr: Mr. Waqas Manzoor

I moved to Welsh Newton common in 2012. I work as an Ecologist, which involves studying wildlife such as the extensive biodiversity found here at the Common. I am also doing a Part Time MSc in Ecology from University of Gloucestershire. Whilst on course I became more involved with Environmental Governance and Biodiversity gain. I am interested in bringing this philosophy to the Parish Council, as well as adding some more biodiversity knowledge to how the Council can help the local area.

 

Cllr: Ms. Elissa Swinglehurst
Cllr. Swinglehurst was also elected in May 2019 as the Llangarron Ward Councillor

If you are interested in becoming a Councillor, you may find the following link useful: Be a Councillor

Declaration of Result of Poll (Ward)

UNCONTESTED ELECTION RESULT – LLANROTHAL PARISH

UNCONTESTED ELECTION RESULT – WELSH NEWTON PARISH