THE?new Mayor of Abergavenny is to be Labour councillor Dave Simcock with his wife and fellow councillor, Penny serving as Mayoress.

The new mayor has lived in Abergavenny for 20 years and has a background in the theatre and in social work. He has been an active member of the Crickhowell Choral Society and the Gwent Mountaineering Club for many years. He has recently taken part in theatre productions at the Melville Centre, Abergavenny.

Councillor Simcock said, “It’s a great privilege to be Mayor and I’m looking forward to my year in office. The Council is determined to engage the community in the decisions we make on their behalf. It’s good to live in a place where people care so much about the future of the town. Our decisions should take their ideas into account.”

The Mayoress, Councillor Penny Simcock, who was recently elected to the town council herself, retired in 2011 as Newport City Council’s workforce development manager for the social care sector. She is Chair of the Board of the Melville Centre for the Arts CIC.