‘Racist misogynist’ councillor faces stinging rebuke from deputy council leader

Emily Price 

A controversial councillor has been branded a “racist misogynist” by a deputy council leader who said his “divisive and inflammatory” remarks must be called out.

Bridgend County Borough Council’s Deputy Leader Jane Gebbie delivered a stinging rebuke to Pyle, Kenfig Hill and Cefn Cribwr councillor Owain Clatworthy at the weekend.

The latest row follows a series of social media posts by the Restore Britain politician in which he lashed out at a female councillor who had criticised him after he raised concerns about a group of young people of colour using a public park.

Cllr Clatworthy, a practising evangelical Christian who was raised in care, had shared an image of the young people sitting in a Pen-y-Fai park on Facebook, saying it had been sent to him by a concerned local resident.

He later launched an online attack on Pen-y-Fai councillor Heidi Bennett after she pointed out that no complaints had been made about the youngsters.

Cllr Bennett accused Cllr Clatworthy of being desperate for “Daddy’s” attention, a jibe aimed at Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe.

She mocked Clatworthy after he shared a screenshot of an interaction with Lowe on social media, captioning it: “Thanks boss.”

In a post to Facebook defending Cllr Bennett, Bridgend Council’s deputy leader questioned why a safeguarding referral had not been made if Cllr Clatworthy had genuine concerns about the young people’s activities in the park.

She accused the Restore Britain councillor of using the image to fuel social media controversy.

Cllr Gebbie said: “I believe Cllr Owain Clatworthy’s posts need to be called out for what they are: divisive, inflammatory and racist.

“His recent post portraying a group of young men of colour in a public park as a “concern” raises serious questions.

“If he genuinely believed there was a safeguarding issue, why wasn’t a safeguarding referral made?

“Safeguarding is about protecting people — not creating social media outrage.

“There is also a disturbing pattern of targeting women who challenge or call out his views.

“I am in full support of Cllr Heidi Bennett for having the courage to call out this rhetoric and challenge behaviour that has no place in public life.”

Cllr Gebbie said she had previously been targeted personally by Cllr Clatworthy and acknowledged that speaking out could result in “further abuse, intimidation or threats”.

“But I will not be intimidated into silence,” she said.

Cllr Gebbie added: “As an elected member, I represent ALL residents across Bridgend County Borough — regardless of race, nationality, background, faith, gender or where they live.

“I will always stand up for our diverse, inclusive and welcoming communities.

“Young people should not be made to feel unwelcome in their own community because of the colour of their skin.

“Racism has no place in Bridgend. Misogyny and intimidation have no place in public life.

“Division is not leadership. Safeguarding is about protecting people — not political point-scoring.

“We should expect better from those elected to represent us. Bridgend is better than this. And I won’t stop standing up for it.”

The latest dispute is not the first time the two councillors have clashed.

In July, Cllr Clatworthy issued Cllr Gebbie with a legal threat after she raised concerns about remarks he had made about asylum seekers and Islam.

The Restore Britain councillor said attempts by Cllr Gebbie to remove him from a corporate parenting panel would be “met with the strongest possible resistance, including legal action”.

The row came after Bridgend Council leaders raised concerns about what they described as the “divisive” content being shared online by Cllr Clatworthy following his defection from Reform UK to Restore Britain.

At the weekend, Cllr Clatworthy celebrated being followed on X, formerly Twitter, by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as “Tommy Robinson”.

The follow came just days after Cllr Clatworthy criticised a Nation.Cymru article which described him as a far-right councillor.

In recent months, he has faced criticism and formal complaints over comments he has made online about minority groups and women.

In one Facebook post, he wrote that “Islam is not compatible with Western civilisation” and described Islamic prayers at official council ceremonies as “open displays of Islamic dominance”.

He also faced mockery and accusations of homophobia after criticising a rainbow-painted picnic table at a shopping outlet, claiming it represented a “mandatory ideology” that was “impossible to escape”.

He later faced renewed criticism after suggesting women should not be able to access abortions.

Cllr Clatworthy has also been the subject of formal complaints to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

The complaints reportedly accused him of stirring up racial hatred by selectively highlighting crimes committed by ethnic minorities, as well as using official Bridgend Council branding on a letter containing controversial remarks about the LGBTQ+ community.

On August 13, the Ombudsman told Nation.Cymru it was not currently investigating any complaints against Cllr Clatworthy.

Multiple political and council sources in Bridgend have told Nation.Cymru they believe Cllr Clatworthy’s controversial social media output is largely driven by a desire for “attention and publicity”.

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