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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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.

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Upper Afan Valley lined up for £20m boost as council backs decade-long regeneration bid

Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet has backed the Upper Afan Valley as the single community to put forward for the UK Government’s Pride in Place Programme — a decade‑long investment scheme targeting the UK’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

The decision follows months of analysis comparing deprivation, crime, health, education and access to services across the county. Officers say the Upper Afan Valley stood out as the area facing the deepest and most persistent deprivation, with one local zone ranked among the 15 most deprived in Wales.

A valley hit by long-term decline

The Upper Afan Valley area put forward by the council covers Cymer, Croeserw and Gwynfi, along with the smaller communities that make up the wider valley. Together they form a single, connected neighbourhood identified as having the highest concentration of deprivation anywhere in Neath Port Talbot.

The council report paints a bleak picture. Parts of the valley have been classed as suffering “deep‑rooted deprivation” for almost two decades, appearing in the 50 most deprived communities in Wales in every official index since 2005. Jobs are scarce, health outcomes are poor and access to services is limited. Officers say the area has also missed out on other major regeneration schemes, leaving it with fewer chances to attract investment than other parts of the county.

Although the population falls slightly below the UK Government’s preferred size for the programme, the council argues the level of need is so severe that the Upper Afan Valley remains the strongest and most justified choice.

Three contenders — but only one could win

Under the rules, Neath Port Talbot can nominate only one neighbourhood for the £20 million fund. Officers examined the Upper Afan Valley alongside Sandfields and Aberavon, and Briton Ferry West and Neath East. Both of the urban areas have larger populations and stronger links to Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme, giving them more immediate opportunities to draw in other funding.

But the council’s independent review found that the Upper Afan Valley’s deprivation was more severe, more entrenched and more concentrated than anywhere else in the county. It also noted that, because the valley’s population is smaller, the investment per head would be far higher — giving residents a better chance of seeing visible, long‑lasting change.

“An optimistic sign of investment”

Cllr Jeremy Hurley, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, said:

“If approved by UK Government, this money for the Upper Afan Valley is an optimistic sign of investment in what is – on average – the most deprived area in Neath Port Talbot.

“I hope the UK Government approves our recommendation so that the community can benefit.”

What the £20 million could deliver

If the bid is approved, the Upper Afan Valley would receive one of the largest single‑neighbourhood regeneration packages ever directed at a community in Neath Port Talbot. The funding would be spread over ten years and could support improvements to public spaces, upgrades to community facilities, investment in local assets and projects tackling health, employment and education inequalities.

A new Neighbourhood Board, led by an independent chair, would be created to oversee the plan and ensure residents shape the priorities.

A tight deadline — and a big decision ahead

The council must now secure letters of endorsement from local MPs and MSs before submitting its formal proposal to UK Government ministers. The deadline is 9 January 2026, with decisions expected later in the year.

If approved, the Upper Afan Valley would become the focus of a decade‑long regeneration effort aimed at reversing decades of decline and giving one of Wales’s most disadvantaged communities a long‑awaited boost.

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