FOLLOWING the resignation of two Cabinet Members earlier on Tuesday, the Leader Councillor Rosemarie Harris has reshuffled key Cabinet responsibilities.

Councillor Myfanwy Alexander is appointed as Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Councillor Phyl Davies is appointed as Cabinet Member for Education.

Cllr Alexander will retain responsibility for the Welsh Language. Further changes, including plans to increase the Cabinet to 10 members, will be made in due course.

Cllr Rosemarie Harris said “I am making these changes to my Cabinet today as it is important to have experienced Cabinet Members in these key posts so we can press ahead with the transformation of Education and Social Care.”

Cllr Alexander was facing a motion of no confidence at a meeting due to be held on Wednesday.

Council leader Rosemarie Harris had been urged to sack Independent Myfanwy Alexander from education following a scathing report by school inspectors.

Ms Harris had refused to sack her.

The move of Powys County Council’s previous Cabinet Member for Education from her role, less than 24 hours before she faced a vote on a Motion of No Confidence submitted by the Welsh Lib Dem – Green Group, has been welcomed by the Motion’s Proposer, Group Leader Cllr James Gibson-Watt.

Cllr Gibson-Watt said: “The Council’s Leader has dressed this up as part of a Cabinet reshuffle and her plans to expand the Cabinet to 10 members from its current eight. But the fact is it was triggered by the prospect of defeat on the Motion of No Confidence at the Extraordinary Meeting I and my group called for in the wake of the recent highly-critical Estyn report in to the council’s education service.

"I am pleased that the council Leader has finally agreed to implement this much-needed change, but it is imperative that the dithering and delay we have seen for the past two years is replaced by rapid action to fix the glaring weaknesses exposed by Estyn. The children and families of Powys deserve nothing less.

“However, I really do not think that the expansion of the Cabinet to 10 members is justified. It will increase the costs of running the Cabinet and potentially dilute responsibility at a time when we need maximum Cabinet accountability to council members and the public.”