Ex-councillor and convicted criminal who was barred from office for three years set to stand in Senedd election

Emily Price 

An ex-councillor who was barred from office for three years after falsely accusing a colleague of distributing illegal pornography, and alleging that a member of the public was a sex offender, is set to run as an independent candidate in the upcoming Senedd election.

Former Pembrokeshire councillor and convicted criminal Paul Dowson was found by the Adjudication Panel for Wales (APW) to have brought the council into disrepute in August 2022.

He was banned from standing for election in every local authority in Wales until 2025.

It came after Dowson was censured by the local authority’s Standards Committee for publishing Facebook posts relating to the Black Lives Matter movement that were “likely to be considered racist”.

At the time, he denied posting the content and said he was not racist.

Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, Michelle Morris, investigated three separate complaints against Dowson – who previously represented UKIP before sitting as an independent,

At the time, Ms Morris said: “The false allegations and statements made by former councillor Dowson were potentially harmful and reputationally damaging to the individuals concerned and to the council.

“This is the second outcome of a hearing into the conduct of former councillor Dowson in as many months.

“The decision to disqualify the member from holding office for three years reflects the seriousness of his conduct.”

The APW said Dowson’s behaviour amounted to harassment and bullying and that he had deliberately attempted to mislead the Ombudsman by providing a fake social media post as evidence.

Dowson is now standing as an independent candidate in the May 7 Senedd election.

In his statement to voters, he said he had the “courage, integrity and drive” to represent the new Ceredigion Penfro constituency.

Dowson said: “I will be standing in Mays election as a candidate in Ceredigion /Penfro.

“The party system has failed and delivered very little. I will be standing as an independent who is not restricted by party political restraints.

“I have a history of achievement in local politics and as a Cllr 2017-2022 I fought for more issues in my constituency than anyone before me.

“As an independent your concerns are my concerns and I have the courage, integrity and drive to represent you properly without compromise.”

Dowson was elected with a majority of four votes to represent the Pembroke Dock Central ward in 2017.

In January 2021 he announced he had joined UKIP and would sit as a councillor for the party on Pembrokeshire County Council.

At the time he was handed a ban on standing for elected office, Dowson was no longer a councillor, having failed in his bid to be re-elected in the Bush Ward in the 2022 local elections.

In September 2023 Dowson was convicted of working illegally as a pub doorman and was ordered to pay £3,201.50 for carrying out door duties at a pub in Tenby without a licence.

When he joined UKIP in early 2021 he was awarded a significant role in the party’s 2021 Senedd election plans.

Former UKIP leader Neil Hamilton said he was “delighted” to have Dowson as an “integral part” of the party’s election campaign.

Dowson finished in fifth place in the Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire seat with 982 votes – gaining just 3.1%of the total.

He was also third on the UKIP list in the Mid and West Wales region, but the party came seventh with only 1.6% of the vote.