Martletwy county councillor moves to Park Authority Chair as new Members attend first meeting 

Cllr Di Clements was voted in as the new Chair of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority at its Annual General Meeting on 15 June.

Cllr Clements, who served as Deputy Chair from 2019, takes over the role from Cllr Paul Harries, who had served as Chairman for the past three years.

The new Deputy Chair is Dr Rachael Heath-Davies who has been a Welsh Government-appointed Member of the Authority since 2017.

Cllr Clements said: “I am delighted to have been elected Chair of the Authority and will draw on my varied background as a resident, county councillor, farmer, tourism business owner and community volunteer to help promote the work of the Park Authority and uphold the purposes of the National Park.

“I would like to thank Cllr Harries for all his hard work over the past few years. Serving as Deputy Chair alongside him has provided me with invaluable experience that I will no doubt draw upon during my time in the Chair.

“Having successfully navigated through the past few turbulent years, I am confident that both the National Park and the Authority have bright futures ahead and look forward to working with my fellow Members and staff to deliver on the newly focused priorities of conservation, climate, connection and communities.”

Cllr Clements has for more than 30 years lived and worked on the family-run dairy farm, which includes redundant farm buildings that have been converted to provide visitor accommodation. She previously served as a First Milk Council Member and worked for local MP Simon Hart.

Cllr Clements, who has two adult children, has been a National Park Authority Member since she was elected to Pembrokeshire County Council in 2017, as is also a Board Member of Visit Pembrokeshire.

New Members attending a National Park Authority meeting for the first time having recently been appointed by Pembrokeshire County Council were: Cllr Rhys Jordan, Cllr Chris Williams, Cllr Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Cllr Steve Alderman and Cllr Michele Higgins. Cllr Simon Hancock returns to the Authority, having held the role of Chairman during his previous period as a Member.