A COUNTY councillor who has served the Golden Valley ward for six years is stepping down from the role.

Graham Powell, who was elected onto Herefordshire Council in 2011, has lived in Longtown for 14 years.

But Cllr Powell and his wife, Carol, want to move to Shropshire to be nearer family.

He said: "I became a councillor primarily because of the non-existence of the broadband in the area. We have just made some new announcements which will mean the Golden Valley will be covered beyond my expectations.

"We have got mobile phone signal coverage, we have achieved changes in speed limits and many other things. I feel the time is right for someone else to have a go.

"And I shouldn't forget the other half. Carol chairs the NSPCC in Herefordshire which has made a big difference in her life. Last year she ran the London Marathon."

He said it will be sad to leave the area but they felt the time was right.

Cllr Powell added: "Where I live, I live only a couple of hundred yards from where my grandparents lived in Longtown. It will be the end of a long family association in the area."

He has not yet decided which date he will step down but expects it to be towards the end of May.