FAY Jones says she is “absolutely delighted” after Defence Minister Jeremy Quin confirmed that the Welsh Army's headquarters will remain in Brecon.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) tweeted early on Thursday morning (January 28) that the 160th (Welsh) Brigade headquarters will remain in the town – where it has been the Army’s Welsh headquarters since 1972.

Following a 2016 review, the MoD announced that it planned to close Brecon Barracks, the British Army's Welsh HQ, in 2027.

But Miss Jones had called on the MoD to reconsider Brecon Barracks' future and pledged to do all she could to prevent the closure.

Following the MoD announcement she tweeted: “Absolutely delighted that the 160th (Welsh) Brigade will be remaining in Brecon.

“I have been campaigning on this since my election, raising it in Parliament and meeting with Ministers. This is an important step towards my ultimate aim to keep Brecon Barracks open!”

Brecon Barracks also reacted to the news, tweeting from their Commander 160th (Welsh) Brigade account: “Great news and hugely welcomed here in Brecon, not least by the many local Civil Servants and contractors who have loyally supported 160 Brigade & HQ Wales for many decades. Thank you all.”

The announcement from Mr Quin comes after Miss Jones met with the minister to discuss the closure of Brecon Barracks, secured a commitment from him to visit the barracks in person, and raised the issue in Parliament a number of times.

In a subsequent statement released on her website, the Brecon and Radnorshire MP said: “This is a huge step forward in the campaign to keep the barracks right at the heart of Brecon town centre.

“I was delighted to be able to join the Minister for Defence at the barracks in Brecon and I want to pay tribute to Brigadier Andrew Dawes for all the support he and his team have given me in arguing the case for the barracks.

“Brecon has a proud military history as home to both 160th (Welsh) Brigade and Derring Lines – the Infantry Battle School, and it is great news to hear that the Army’s headquarters in Wales will remain in the town.

“It cannot, however, be overstated how important Brecon Barracks is to our national security. The Army’s joint response to the coronavirus pandemic continues to be organised from the barracks – it is very much still a centre for active military operations and I am so grateful to everyone based there for the incredible hard work they have put in over the last year.”

Although the announcement is an enormously positive development, Miss Jones says she will not cease her work until the plans to sell the barracks in 2027 are fully scrapped.

“While the announcement is a welcome first step in the right direction and I thank the minister for this decision, selling the barracks makes little financial sense – especially when compared against the loss to the town,” she said.

“I want to see an even bigger military footprint in Brecon and so I will continue to campaign until future of the barracks is secured.”

Since her election, Miss Jones has tirelessly campaigned against the closure of Brecon Barracks, stressing the tragic loss it would be to the local community. She has hosted a Westminster Hall debate on the issue, raised it during the first ever virtual Prime Minister's Questions in April, has tabled written questions on the topic and most recently called on the Ministry of Defence to reconsider the closure of the barracks in early January. She accompanied the minister on a visit to the barracks in December last year.

Over the last year, Brecon Barracks sprang into action as the centre of the Army’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in Wales. The 160th (Welsh) Brigade have stepped in to assist in a significant way, from running testing sites, to driving ambulances.