TRIBUTES have been paid to Torfaen councillor, Alan Jones, who has stepped down as a cabinet member.

Cllr Jones will continue to represent the Blaenavon ward and will keep his roles as Blaenavon World Heritage Champion and Torfaen council Armed Forces Covenant Champion.

But he has said he has decided to step down from the senior role to spend more time with his family.

Council leader, Cllr Anthony Hunt, led tributes to Cllr Jones and thanked him for his “hard work” over the past two-and-a-half years.

He said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Alan and learn a lot off him, certainly about Blaenavon, about businesses and supporting businesses better and on the Armed Forces Covenant where we have worked together very closely.”

Independent councillor Stuart Evans, who also represents Blaenavon ward, thanked Cllr Jones for his work as cabinet member while representing the area.

Cllr Evans also expressed “sadness” that the cabinet no longer had a member representing the north of the county borough.

“I have represented this council for over 20 years and there has always been a cabinet member in the north and well before that, so it is with a bit of sadness I see now there will be no representative.”

However Cllr Hunt said members representing the north of the borough would continue to play a “key role” within the authority.

“My door is always open to members from north, south and middle,” he added.

 At a full council meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Jo Gauden was appointed as the new executive member for corporate governance and performance.