Ombudsman rejects complaint against Conwy councillor

Sep 23 2010 by Ian Hughes, North Wales Weekly News

A FORMAL complaint against a county councillor who made comments on his blog about a town council has been thrown out.

Towyn and Kinmel Bay Town Council lodged an official complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman claiming Cllr Jason Weyman of Deganwy had breached rule 6 1(d) of Conwy County Council’s code of conduct, which states: “You must not make vexatious, malicious or frivolous complaints against other members or anyone who works for, or on behalf, of your authority.”

Although Cllr Weyman has since deleted the offending blog entry, it is thought he had insinuated that the council was being investigated by an outside body.

But the watchdog has decided that the claims were not substantial enough to warrant an investigation.

Cllr Weyman was pleased with the outcome.

“I am extremely happy that the Ombudsman has come to this conclusion and can confirm that I have not breached the code of conduct,” he said.

A letter from the Ombudsman stated: “Having considered the information provided and read the relevant parts of the blog I am not persuaded that Cllr Weyman has breached the code of conduct as alleged.”

Cllr Weyman added: “I recognise that through my blog my opinions are in the public domain, but I have always taken care to ensure I post within the code of conduct.

“I have always been open and honest in my postings and see my blog as an extension of my councillor role.

“I think this is a victory for openness within local government.

“Sometimes social networking and blog sites can be criticised, but I hope this proves that within guidelines they can be used to highlight issues and concerns.

“Although some of my comments could be ‘close to the mark’ I have always paid very close attention to the content of my blog postings and there are certain things I have not said due to this.”

Cllr Weyman has agreed to meet with the community council’s town clerk, Dave Cowans.

If in disagreement with the decision, the town council has 28 days to request a review.

A decision will be made next Wednesday.

ian.hughes