HONOURS: ‘An incredible honour’ — MBE for the council chief now leading the Afan Valley’s £20m revival

The former chief executive of Neath Port Talbot Council has been awarded an MBE for public service in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours.

Karen Jones DL, who retired as the council’s chief executive in late 2024, was appointed independent chair of the board steering the £20m Pride in Place regeneration drive in the Upper Afan Valley earlier this month.

“The award of an MBE is an incredible honour,” she said. “I have really enjoyed working in the public service and have met many inspirational people from all different backgrounds throughout my career.

“I have always had fantastic support too from my family — I know they are very proud of what I have been able to achieve and it is wonderful to share this award with them.

“Now I have retired, I am looking forward to continuing to make a difference as a volunteer.”

She was appointed to the council’s top job in November 2020, stepping up from her role as deputy chief executive and chief digital officer to succeed Steve Phillips — taking the helm in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.

During that period the council’s NPTBuyLocal scheme, set up to link communities with local businesses providing deliveries through the pandemic, won a national Association of Public Service Excellence award.

Under her leadership, Neath Port Talbot Council was shortlisted for the APSE Overall Council of the Year Award in 2023.

She announced her retirement in January 2024 and stood down towards the end of that year, succeeded by Frances O’Brien.

Retirement has not meant stepping back from public life. As chair of the Afan Valley’s independent Neighbourhood Board, she will lead the setting of priorities for £20m of UK Government funding over the next decade — steering both a 10-year plan and an initial four-year investment programme for what officials confirmed is the most deprived area in the county borough.

“The Upper Afan Valley is a beautiful place and this programme will make a difference for the people who live, work and visit,” she said on taking up the role.

She is among 84 people from Wales recognised in this year’s honours list — led locally by a poignant MBE for the late Swansea councillor Robert Francis-Davies — with the full list of Swansea Bay and Carmarthenshire recipients in our round-up.

Anyone can nominate someone for an honour — details are at gov.uk/honours.

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KING’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS: The Swansea Bay and Carmarthenshire names on this year’s list

A poignant MBE for a man who gave Swansea more than four decades leads the local names in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours — alongside a hospice nurse, a suicide prevention pioneer, half a century of jazz, and the founder of Llandeilo’s festival of music.

The late Robert Francis-Davies — the long-serving Swansea councillor and cabinet member known across the city as RFD — is awarded the MBE for public service, dated days before his death in May.

His family told Swansea Bay News the letter confirming the honour reached him before he passed away — though honours confidentiality meant he could tell no one — and said they are “all immensely proud that his service has been recognised in this way”. Read the full story of RFD’s MBE here.

He is among 84 people from Wales recognised in this year’s list — 1,182 across the UK, with a particular focus on community change-makers — including more than a dozen from across Swansea Bay, Carmarthenshire and the wider region.

OBE

Professor Ann John of Swansea University Medical School receives an OBE for services to suicide prevention and digital innovation. A former GP, she directs the National Centre for Suicide Prevention and Self-harm Research, which advises the Welsh Government, and her work has shaped national policy and the responsible portrayal of suicide — including advising EastEnders, Coronation Street and the BBC’s This Is Going to Hurt.

“I am deeply honoured and delighted to receive this award,” she said. “It reflects the importance of suicide prevention and the power of digital innovation, research and collaboration to make a real difference to people’s lives. I share this honour with everyone who has contributed to that work over many years.”

MBE

Karen Jones DL, the former chief executive of Neath Port Talbot Council who is now leading the £20m Pride in Place regeneration drive in the Afan Valley, is awarded the MBE for public service.

“The award of an MBE is an incredible honour,” she said. “I have really enjoyed working in the public service and have met many inspirational people from all different backgrounds throughout my career.

“I have always had fantastic support too from my family — I know they are very proud of what I have been able to achieve and it is wonderful to share this award with them. Now I have retired, I am looking forward to continuing to make a difference as a volunteer.”

Kiera Louise Jones, lead nurse at Skanda Vale Hospice in Carmarthen, receives hers for services to nursing — recognition for the RCN Wales award winner who has raised more than £13,000 for the nurse-led charity hospice, helped rebuild its services after the pandemic, and champions open conversations about death and dying through her “Elephant in the Room” events and work as a volunteer Soul Midwife.

Dr Martin Rolles, clinical oncologist at Swansea Bay University Health Board, is recognised for services to healthcare science and cancer — while Karen Jayne Andrew JP, a magistrate on the West Glamorgan bench and Independent Monitoring Board member at HM Prison Swansea, receives the MBE for services to prisoners, the administration of justice and the Swansea community.

Colin Paul Everett, of Swansea, is also awarded the MBE for public service.

BEM

Dave Cottle, artistic director of Swansea Jazz Club, receives the British Empire Medal for services to jazz music — recognising a central figure in the city’s live jazz scene since the 1970s, who has organised the club’s weekly programme since the 1990s as it celebrates its 76th year. “It has been a labour of love for me for so many years,” he said.

Julia Jones, founder and director of the Llandeilo Fawr Festival of Music, is recognised for services to music — while Helen Hopkins of Carmarthen receives the BEM for services to music and music education.

Anita Pugh is honoured for services to armed forces veterans and the community in St Thomas, Swansea — and Carole Stevens, team leader at RSPCA Llys Nini, for services to animal welfare and the Swansea community.

Ian Stroud, chair of the Porthcawl Lifeboat Management Group, receives the BEM for services to Porthcawl Lifeboat Station.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the list recognised people who are “quietly changing lives and strengthening their communities”.

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said: “Congratulations to the list of incredible people from right across Wales who have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours.

“They have been commended for their contributions to their communities, to sport, to charity, the arts and to improving the lives of others — often giving their time and effort for free. The work of these inspirational individuals has a huge impact across Wales and I thank each and every one of them for their valuable contributions to Welsh society.”

Anyone can nominate someone for an honour — details are at gov.uk/honours.

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The full story behind the most poignant award on tonight’s list.

PRIDE IN PLACE: Former council chief to lead Afan Valley’s £20m regeneration drive
Karen Jones MBE’s next chapter — the £20m drive in the Afan Valley.

MORRISTON: The scrub nurse who has served the NHS for 52 years — and was handed her qualification by the future King
Another remarkable record of service with a royal connection.

PRIDE IN PLACE: Former council chief to lead Afan Valley’s £20m regeneration drive

The woman who used to run Neath Port Talbot Council has been appointed to lead the body overseeing a £20m regeneration drive in the Upper Afan Valley.

Karen Jones, who retired as the council’s chief executive in late 2024, will chair the independent Neighbourhood Board for the area’s Pride in Place Programme.

The valley was chosen earlier this year as Neath Port Talbot’s preferred site for the UK Government scheme, after officials confirmed it was the most deprived area in the county borough.

The £20m is to be spent over the next decade, with the board steering both a 10-year plan and an initial four-year investment programme.

As chair, Jones will lead the board in setting priorities for the money, working with residents, community groups, businesses and other partners.

The council says the board’s role is to keep the spending community-led and transparent, with local people given a direct say over which projects are backed.

Jones said the programme was an important investment opportunity for the valley.

“The Upper Afan Valley is a beautiful place and this programme will make a difference for the people who live, work and visit,” she said.

She added that she looked forward to working with residents, businesses and partners to identify the most important projects to take on, both now and as the scheme progresses.

Council leader Stephen Hunt said Jones’s experience and understanding of the area would help bring partners together and deliver real benefits for the valley.

The Pride in Place Programme is a UK Government scheme aimed at helping communities across the country, built around three priorities: building thriving places, strengthening communities and giving people a say in their area’s future.

The Upper Afan Valley is one of several local areas in line for the funding. A Swansea city centre neighbourhood has been handed its own £20m under the same scheme.

In Carmarthenshire, Llanelli was also confirmed for a £20m share, with neighbourhoods promised a direct say over how the cash is spent.

The money for the Upper Afan Valley is funded entirely by the UK Government through the Pride in Place Programme.

Residents will be able to find out more about the programme and how to get involved through the council’s website in the coming months.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Upper Afan Valley lined up for £20m boost as council backs decade-long regeneration bid
How the valley was chosen as Neath Port Talbot’s most deprived area for the funding.

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The same scheme delivers a £20m transformation to a Swansea city centre neighbourhood.

Llanelli handed £20m lifeline as decade-long regeneration drive targets town’s most deprived communities
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Neath Port Talbot Council’s new Chief Exec begins her role
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