Councillor is suspended for code of conduct breach
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A former Conservative Mayor of the Vale, Cllr Leighton Rowlands, has been suspended for one month after the Public Services Ombudsman found he had breached the councillors’ code of conduct.
The issue blew up when Cllr Rowland, who represents the Dyfan ward in Barry, opened the Watering Hole coffee shop and wine bar in June 2019. The business received its drinks licence but it needed to apply to the Vale Council planning committee for a change of use. Cllr Rowlands was a member of that planning committee but he and his business partner, Sam Lewis, opened the business before the planning committee could meet. The Watering Hole, on St Nicholas Road in Barry, attracted complaints about noise, disturbance and parking overspill.
Cllr Rowlands resigned from the business when he was made aware that he had breached planning rules. The planning committee refused the change of use application and the business continued to trade but eventually closed in 2020.
Cllr Rowlands said: “I have always accepted I was naïve to handle the matter in this way and I am truly sorry for that. Prior to becoming a councillor, I had no previous experience of planning matters. I have since undertaken additional training and will not repeat my previous mistake.
“Repairing our roads, stamping out dog fouling and upgrading our play areas are my constituents’ priorities. Together, we have a plan to deliver them and that’s where my focus lies.”
In August of 2019, Cllr Neil Moore reported Cllr Rowlands to the Ombudsman for breaching the councillor’s code of conduct, and after a covid-related delay, the Ombudsman ruled that he had. The punishment was left to the Vale Council’s standards committee, and that committee met on 26th January and suspended him for one month.
The Vale Council and Barry Town Council issued a joint statement, saying: “The Vale Council’s standards committee has suspended Cllr Rowlands from his Vale Council and Barry Town Council duties for one month from a date to be confirmed, subject to any appeal.
“It found that he brought his office into disrepute by failing to consider the situation appropriately, not seeking advice and showing a lack of judgement in opening a coffee shop and wine bar without appropriate permission.
”Cllr Shirley Hodges, the Plaid Cymru group leader at Barry Town Council, said: “For someone on the Vale Council planning committee to make such fundamental errors over their own planning application is unacceptable. Ignoring advice from officers is also unacceptable.
“I know first-hand the enormous upset and disruption caused to local residents living near The Watering Hole. The standards committee stated that there was a significant lack of judgement on Cllr Rowlands part. Surely he should now consider his future position and resign as a councillor.”
A friend of Cllr Rowlands said: “It’s a bit rich of the nationalists to criticise other councillors when they’ve made some questionable candidate choices themselves.
“One former Barry councillor was convicted of an animal cruelty offence and banned from owning dogs. Yet Plaid have repeatedly chosen him to stand for election.
“Plaid are in no position to lecture others. Before pointing the finger, they should get their own house in order first.”
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