Rhondda Cynon Taf’s new Leader has officially been appointed. Former Deputy Leader Cllr Anthony Christopher took up the position at the Council’s Annual General Meeting and pledged to honour the commitments made to the people of Rhondda Cynon Taff including protecting frontline services and local jobs.
Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taff CBC, County Borough Councillor Anthony Christopher said:
“I am hugely privileged to be elected as Leader of the Council and take forward the commitments we made to the people of Rhondda Cynon Taf.
“These are challenging times for the public sector and we are committed to ensuring we do all we can to protect frontline services from the UK government’s cuts and protect local jobs.
“We have made strong progress in the last eight years, improving and investing in frontline services and I pay tribute to the role Russell Roberts played in turning this Council into of the best run local authorities in Wales.
“As Leader I will ensure that this Council will stand up for local services and do our utmost to create growths and jobs.
“Our programme of delivery which will be announced in the coming months, will demonstrate very clearly that local public services are safe in our hands
“In this double dip recession it is more important than ever we use every public sector pound to support local growth and create jobs.
“As Leader I look forward to leading continued improvement in the services we provide to local people and ensuring that we build on our strong track record.”
County Borough Councillor Anthony Christopher who represents the Aberaman North electoral division has served as the Deputy Leader of the Council since 2004.
Councillor Anthony Christopher was born in Aberdare on the 1st June 1946. He attended Aberdare Boys Grammar School, before attending Aberdare College for Further Education. He was previously employed as a toolsetter and boilerman.
Councillor Christopher was first elected in 1989. He is the former Chair of the Audit Committee and a former Deputy Leader of the Opposition (1999-2004) He has previously served as a non-Executive Director of North Glamorgan NHS Trust and as a member of the WLGA. Cllr Anthony Christopher has been instrumental in developing the Councils approach to waste and recycling and ensuring our local environment is kept clean.
