Tory councillor reprimanded over social media spat

Emily Price

A Welsh Conservative councillor has been reprimanded for breaching the code of conduct following a social media spat about a town poppy appeal.

Councillor Iain McIntosh, who represents the Yscir with Honddu Isaf and Llanddew ward was formally censured after a complaint was made about him to the Public Services Ombudsman Wales.

The full details of the complaint – which was initially made several years ago – have not been released because discussions were held in confidential sessions.

However, a witness to the report told Nation.Cymru it related to an online row with a Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority employee.

Poppies

It’s understood that Macintosh – who at the time was a Conservative group representative for the national park – reported the staff member to the park’s CEO after they left a comment on a Facebook photo of him placing poppies outside a Brecon business.

We were told that the Tory councillor considered the comment to be derogatory and contacted the employee privately following the row.

Cllr Macintosh no longer sits on the national park’s authority having resigned in protest when it was rebranded to its Welsh name – Bannau Brycheiniog – in May 2023.

Referred

In February this year, Powys County Council’s Standards Committee considered the preliminary evidence of the complaint but agreed to refer the case to Ceredigion County Council’s Standards Committee for determination.

A hearing was later held before five independent people and two county councillors.

The committee ruled that Cllr McIntosh had breached conduct rules by failing to show “respect and consideration” for others.

The Tory councillor was also found to have breached rule 7, “You must not — (a) in your official capacity or otherwise, use or attempt to use your position improperly to confer on or secure for yourself, or any other person, an advantage or create or avoid for yourself, or any other person, a disadvantage.”

As well as a formal censure, the committee recommended that the councillor, “undertakes some further training on social media matters and that Powys County Council considers implementing a “Member programme.”

‘No confidence’

Cllr McIntosh said: “Frustratingly, I am not permitted to comment on the case, but I would like to say that following the Ombudsman’s appetite to chase me for three years over a complaint like this, but dismiss complaints made by members of the public about a Councillor elected as a Liberal Democrat, for making online video’s repeatedly saying ‘F*** the Tories’, the exact same comment their own head of investigations had to stand down for repeating, I have absolutely no confidence in the Ombudsman office’s ability to carry out nonpartisan investigations.

“During a recent ‘independent’ investigation into the Ombudsman’s working practices, they refused to give me the contact details of the investigator to raise my concerns about biased activities, illustrating their refusal to facilitate open and transparent scrutiny. The subsequent investigation outcome was nothing more than a whitewash.

“The entire Public Service Ombudsman for Wales service should be wound up immediately, and replaced with a truly independent service, to make sure members of ALL political parties stick to their code of conduct, and are held to account fairly, without bias, and in a timely manner.”