A new Chair and Deputy Chair have been elected to lead Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority over the next two municipal years.

Cllr John Davies joined the Fire Authority in May 2022 and has served as Deputy Chair since 2023, he takes over from Cllr Gwynfor Thomas of Powys, who will continue as a Fire Authority Member.  Cllr Davies has been in office at Pembrokeshire County Council since May 1999, working as Leader of the Council from 2004-2012.  Cllr Davies previously led the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society as Chair of Board for 10 years and for his tenure and service as Chair, Cllr Davies was awarded an Honorary Life Vice-Presidency of the Society in 2022.  He also completed two terms as a member of the S4C Authority and is a former High Sheriff of Dyfed.

Speaking on his election as Fire Authority Chair, Cllr John Davies said:

“It is a huge privilege to be elected Chair at a time of significant changes and challenges within the Fire and Rescue Service sector in Wales.  

I will endeavour, along with my fellow Fire Authority colleagues, to engage with all stakeholders, from the staff who shape the Service, to the members of the public we represent and protect.  It is an honour to be associated with a Service that continues to effectively serve its communities at their hour of need.”

Cllr Matthew Crowley has been a member of the Fire Authority since June 2017.  Cllr Crowley began his career in the public sector when he joined the Afan Borough Council in 1982 and served as Mayor of Neath Port Talbot from 2024 to 2025.

Cllr Crowley is President of the Aberavon Green Stars RFC, Member of the Aberavon Lifeguard Club, a Life Member of the GMB Union, Chairman of Governors at Awel Y Mor Primary School, and Chairman of Governors at Tywyn Primary School.

Commenting on his appointment as Fire Authority Deputy Chair, Cllr Crowley said:

“It is a privilege and an honour two-fold to serve as Deputy Chair of the Fire Authority.

As with all public services in Wales, we have challenging times ahead, but with the commitment of our elected Members and Officers, we are here to provide the best Fire and Rescue Service to the public.

This appointment is also very poignant to me personally, as I follow in my late father’s footsteps as he too was a Deputy Chair and then Chair of the Fire Authority from 2007 to 2009.”

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service provides emergency response cover to almost two-thirds of Wales and six local authority areas: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys and the City and County of Swansea.

The Service covers a predominantly rural area of 4,500 square miles, comprising 58 Fire Stations and employing around 1,300 staff.  It is the third largest Fire and Rescue Service in the United Kingdom, behind the Scottish and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Services.