Councillor Anthony Hunt has been elected Chair of the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) City Deal Regional Cabinet.
The Torfaen County Borough Council Leader was unanimously elected to the role by the leaders of the nine other CCR City Deal local authority partners at the annual general meeting of the Regional Cabinet.
Anthony Hunt brings with him a wealth of experience gained at all levels of government having worked in parliament, in Whitehall and in the National Assembly of Wales prior to taking up his current position of Leader of Torfaen Borough Council in December 2016. Anthony is also a Trustee of the Bevan Foundation and has held the Regional Cabinet portfolio role for Digital and more recently, the Foundational Economy.
Councillor Hunt said: “I am honored to be elected to this role. I would like to thank Andrew Morgan for his leadership during his time in office and also pay tribute to all the Leaders and officers who have helped get our City Deal to its current position – this has truly been a team effort and will continue to be so.
“I am passionate about our ambition to become a truly Connected, Competitive and Resilient region. We will only achieve that by working closely with partners across the public and private sectors, especially the fantastic business community in our region.
“The last few weeks have been an immense challenge to our region, to the health and wellbeing of our people, to the way public services work and to our regional economy. The challenge is plain for all to see, yet our region has significant strengths in many key sectors, which we need to build upon.
“We need to make sure we’re at the heart of shaping our region’s economic recovery, ensuring that all parts of our region, from coast to valleys, can share in future prosperity. No community or group of people should be left behind, and our work on the foundational economy is key to that. I also want to see a rethink in how we value certain sectors and occupations, putting local wealth building at the heart of our collective effort.”
Councillor Morgan said: “I am delighted that Councillor Hunt has been elected to succeed me and am confident that Anthony will bring the required energy, drive and leadership to the role.
“We are now in the position where we have a sizable portfolio of investment opportunities in our pipeline. These projects will be even more critical as we begin the process of helping to re-build the economy and support our places after a sustained period of disruption with flooding and now, the devastating impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“I will be continuing to play a full role on the Joint Cabinet representing RCT and, in my role now as Leader of WLGA, I look forward to further supporting CCR and continuing to work with Welsh Government and private sector organisations as we progress to the next stages.”
Councillor Peter Fox, Leader of Monmouthshire County Council, and Councillor Huw Thomas, Leader of City of Cardiff Council, were elected as Vice-Chairs of the Regional Cabinet.
The CCR City Deal is a £1.2 billion deal to unlock significant economic growth across the Cardiff Capital Region.
The Regional Cabinet was set up in 2016 to provide the leadership, vision and strategic direction for the Cardiff Capital Region; help shape and manage the City Deal programme and structure; integrate and align the City Deal agenda with the Metro; prioritise projects which demonstrate the potential to achieve real economic improvements across the region; establish a secure platform for development encouraging alignment of relevant functions and activities and strategic application of funds as part of a fully integrated City Region approach; engage with wider stakeholders to encourage and support a collaborative approach to make the Cardiff Capital Region a success.
The ten local authorities are: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen, and Vale of Glamorgan.