The Council has held its Annual General Meeting this week, during which Elected Members have completed the appointment of several key roles and responsibilities for the municipal year ahead, 2026-2027.
The AGM took place at the Council Chamber in Pontypridd on Wednesday, April 29 – including election of the Presiding and Deputy Presiding officers, appointments of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and election of the Council Leader, Deputy Leader, and Leader of the Opposition. Several appointments were also made to various Council committees for the municipal year ahead.
Decisions relating to some key Council functions are listed below, while a full list of the appointments made in Wednesday’s meeting can be viewed online.
Council Leader, Cabinet and Leader of the Opposition
Councillor Ann Crimmings has been elected as the new Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, following the previous decision of Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE to step down from the role. The Deputy Leader of the Council was also elected on Wednesday – Councillor Maureen Webber BEM has been re-elected to this role. The new Council Leader has announced her Cabinet Member appointments, and their roles and portfolios are as follows:
- Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Ann Crimmings.
- Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Council Business and the Welsh Language, Cllr Maureen Webber BEM.
- Cabinet Member for Regeneration & Housing, Cllr Mark Norris.
- Cabinet Member for Education & Young People, Cllr Sharon Rees.
- Cabinet Member for Social Care, Cllr Gareth Caple.
- Cabinet Members for Resources, Customer & Energy (job-share arrangement), Cllr Tina Leyshon and Cllr Ros Davis.
- Cabinet Members for Communities, Culture & Leisure (job-share arrangement), Cllr Bob Harris and Cllr Scott Emanuel.
- Cabinet Members for Environment and Capital Infrastructure (job-share arrangement), Cllr Andrew Morgan OBE and Cllr Louisa Addiscott.
Cllr Karen Morgan has also been re-elected as the Leader of the Opposition, from the Council’s second largest political group, Plaid Cymru.
Other appointments to key roles
During the Annual General Meeting, several other key appointments were made by Elected Members to democratic and civic roles. These include:
- Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Presiding officer, Cllr Wendy Lewis.
- Deputy Presiding officers, Cllr Barry Stephens and Cllr Sheryl Evans.
- The Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Cllr Emma Watts.
- Deputy Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Cllr Gaynor Warren.
Appointments to Committee Roles
Full Council has also elected Members to important roles relating to the Council’s democratic Committees. These appointments include:
- Planning and Development Committee – Cllr Ross Williams will be the Chair, with Cllr Jayne Smith the committee’s Vice Chair.
- Licencing Committee – Cllr Adam Fox will be the Chair, with Cllr Graham Stacey the committee’s Vice Chair.
- Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Cllr Julie Edwards will be the Chair, with Cllr Rhys Lewis the committee’s Vice Chair.
- Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee – Cllr Sera Evans will be the Chair, with Cllr Barry Stephens the committee’s Vice Chair.
- Community Services Scrutiny Committee – Cllr Loretta Tomkinson will be the Chair, with Cllr Tina Williams the committee’s Vice Chair.
- Climate Change, Prosperity and Frontline Services Scrutiny Committee – Cllr Craig Middle will be the Chair, with Cllr Wyn Hughes the committee’s Vice Chair.
- Democratic Services Committee – Cllr Will Jones will be the Chair, with Cllr Maureen Webber BEM the committee’s Vice Chair.
- Appeals Committee – Cllr Jayne Brencher will be the Chair.
- RCT Pensions Committee – Cllr Jayne Smith will be the Chair.
Posted on 30/04/2026