County boss ‘taken aback’ by honour
THE chief executive of Carmarthenshire Council has been appointed CBE in the New Year Honours.
Mark James, 52, was recognised for services to local government in Wales.
Mr James said: “It’s a great honour.
“I’m very delighted and taken aback, I hadn’t expected it.
“It’s nice for me but it’s good for the county of Carmarthenshire. It’s just recognition for all the hard work that’s been going on.”
Mr James has developed a reputation for pursing regeneration projects during his career at the top of local Government.
Development
Since he became chief executive of Carmarthenshire Council in 2002, the authority has developed a new shopping centre in St Catherine’s Walk, Carmarthen, begun work on the new East Gate leisure and retail development in Llanelli and is working on plans to give Ammanford a makeover.
The authority has also been renovating council homes, pushing forward the modernisation of school buildings and this autumn secured £13.5 million of Welsh Government money for a new business park in Cross Hands.
Several similar schemes were begun at Boston Borough Council when Mr James was chief executive there between 1996 and 2002.
Mr James said that with a “great team” of officers and councillors they had done a “good job” on regeneration projects in Carmarthenshire.
“I’m very proud of what we have done here and there’s still more to do,” he said.
Acknowledging the belt-tightening faced by councils, he added: “There are always challenges in this job.
“This is a different challenge in that we have less money than we are used to having.
“We will work through that and we will still do some tremendous work.
“There are lots of people in Carmarthenshire that do need our assistance and we will do the best we can.”
Mr James, who was born in Merthyr Tydfil, lives in Carmarthen. He is married and has four children.
Advised
As well as being the leading official at the council, he has several roles with the Welsh Assembly, where he is a non-executive director.
He has chaired several boards and committees, including ones focused on national assets and corporate governance, and he was a member of the ministerial board that advised the Welsh Government on a £1.4 billion investment in schools that was announced earlier this month.
Away from the office, Mr James is a keen swimmer, competing in events and coaching children at Carmarthen Swimming Club. He is a rugby fan and also likes walking in Wales.
david.price@swwmedia.co.uk
5 Comments
by Carnabwth
Wednesday, January 04 2012, 9:46PM
“What exceptional use of factual words Patrick11.
When you look beneath the spin and the real Mark James it demeans the whole objective of such honour.
Whoever made this decision needs to take a good look at the errors of his/her ways.
There are far more deservedly worthy subjects in Carmarthenshire than an overpaid power crazed office boy with no consideration towards those that contribute to his excessive income.”
by iamthequeen
Wednesday, January 04 2012, 8:51PM
“I suspect that readers of Private Eye, New Statesman, The Guardian, Telegraph, Daily Mail, South Wales Evening Post, Carmarthen Journal, too many blogs to mention, followers on Twitter and the thousands of people who have watched the Youtube clip of Jacqui Thompson's attempt to (legally) film a Carmarthenshire Council meeting for which she was then illegally arrested will remember Mark James for instigating this shameful episode and not for a CBE.”
by jules2109
Tuesday, January 03 2012, 7:20PM
“well he's done far more for CCC than our NPT leader has - NPT has just privatised everything and sold out its workforce.”
by Patrick11
Tuesday, January 03 2012, 2:08PM
“I am shocked that a Chief Executive who has earned his council the title of 'Rotten Council' with Private Eye, should even be considered this honour. What is honourable about a man who cares so little about the very people who pay his salary that he refuses to investigate malpractice, choosing to cover up his officers dishonesty, who refuses to meet with people who have suffered enormous injustice at his hands, and of course there's the small matter of the envelope his P.A. found on his desk with five thousand pounds stuffed into it a few years ago. Of course altho charges were brought no-one was found guilty of bribery and corruption. I can think of many many people who deserve to be honoured, Mark James isn't one of them.”
by Patrick11
Tuesday, January 03 2012, 2:00PM
“mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm”