Cllr Dr Martin O’Neill is from the West Cross ward, where he has lived for more than 20 years. He is currently a lecturer at the School of Medicine at Cardiff University having spent his earlier career in the NHS.

Cllr Martin O’Neill commented, “I am both very humbled and proud to have been elected chair of MCC for a second term. As I come to the end of my first year as chair there is a lot to reflect on. This year has been one of the most incredible and challenging I am sure that many of us have encountered during our lifetimes. When I took the chair last May I think we were just realising the full extent and impact the COVID 19 pandemic would have on our lives. The advent of the pandemic threw us all into turmoil for a while as the old ways of doing things were no longer viable and we all had to develop new ways of working. Almost overnight remote-working and teleconferencing became the norm and meeting each other was no longer possible. For many of us, the social isolation and concern for family, friends and colleagues compounded what was already a stressful situation. That said, in retrospect, I think we can all commend ourselves that we got through it. We also kept the Community Council as a functioning entity that responded effectively to the COVID 19 crisis.

Going forward I believe it is important that we maintain and build on the momentum we have built up over the past year. We have a number of exciting and ambitious projects such as Underhill, the skateboard park and plans for the Ostreme centre and Langland Bay tennis courts area. While I am keen on ensuring that we see these through to fruition it is also important that as a council we do not lose site of the day-to-day priorities of maintaining a pleasant and healthy environment for residents and visitors. Whilst the past year has been challenging, I believe MCC has taken these challenges in its stride and has responded effectively which provides us with a firm foundation for those challenges which will emerge in the coming year.”

Cllr Rebecca Fogarty works for Public Health Wales, promoting health and well-being to diverse communities. She is also chair of the Covid-19 Response Team and the Community and Social Well-Being Committee.

Cllr Fogarty commented, “I am honoured to have been elected Vice Chair of Mumbles Community Council. Following MCC’s efforts to support the community during the Covid-19 crisis I am looking forward to playing our part in the recovery. This includes continuing significant improvements to our sport and recreation facilities to promote well-being, support for our

local businesses and hopefully in time welcoming locals and visitors alike to our fantastic events. I’m also looking forward to developing our small and medium grants programme to support local projects, including projects to respond to the Climate Emergency.”