Having Just completed it’s 25th year in
existence, the town council now has it’s sights set
making some major celebrations during the
bi-centenary of the town of Pembroke Dock. The town
was only a tiny hamlet of Paterchurch when it sprang
into being as it was being created alongside the
rapid growth of the Royal Dockyard.
Since it was formed in 1986, when the old Pembroke
Borough council was separated into the two distinct
town council areas of Pembroke and Pembroke Dock,
some thirteen ladies and thirteen gentlemen have
become the town’s leading citizen by taking on the
role of Mayor. Councillor Maureen
Colgan handed
over the reins as the town’s mayor for 2011/2012
to Cllr Andrew McNaughton.
The council is proud of that record of equality
and apart from the record of serving Mayors, the
current membership is very well balanced with nine
lady members. A big part of that remarkable record
for the feminine touch in local politics is the
much respected Councillor Pam
George, who
has served five terms as Mayor. (Not to mention the
extra half term she served when she took over from
Councillor Mrs. V. Roach who retired due to ill
health).
She is also the only remaining member from the
original 1986 council. She maintains a strong
family tradition as her father, Cllr C. Thomas, was
also mayor twice including the inaugural year of the
council..
There were originally fourteen councillors in four
wards, but since then the boundary commission has
increased this to sixteen in order to fit in with
the average number of constituents per Councillor in
other urban wards in Pembrokeshire. The wards are Pennar (5
councillors), Llanion (5), Market (3)
and Central (3).
The council has an interesting mix of experience and
youthful vigor with a number of new councillors
joining in the last two years. It is also well
served by having three of the town’s county
councillors also sitting as town councillors. At
the moment, the town has some key projects in the
pipeline, working in partnership with a variety of
town organisations and individuals. As mentioned,
one long term goal is the celebration of Pembroke
Dock’s two hundredth year of existence in 2014 while
improvements to the town’s Memorial
Park is
another major aim. Currently there are plans close
to fruition to create a BMX bike track giving the
teenagers of the town an exciting activity site
right on their front door. This will be alongside
the current tennis courts. The council also
supports the creation of a village Green on land at
West Pennar as this is a heavily populated area with
few play facilities for children.
The council also is a stakeholder in producing
15,000 copies of a joint town guide for Pembroke and
Pembroke Dock in conjunction with Pembroke Town
Council and Pembroke Chamber of Trade |
![[Village of Pembroke (Malta)]](Council%20images/mt-46.gif)
