Three councillors accused of falling short of standards in football pitch row

Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

Three councillors “fell short of standards expected of elected members” during a debate about a football pitch, the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales has said.

A confidential report, leaked to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, criticised three Rhuddlan councillors over their conduct.

The Ombudsman said their actions during a debate on Rhuddlan Town Football Club’s use of the town’s Admiral’s Field were “suggestive” of a breach of the code of conduct.

The matter has been referred to Denbighshire Council’s standards committee, who will determine during a behind-closed-doors meeting on Friday whether to hold a hearing into the case.

In the autumn of 2024, Rhuddlan Town Council councillors voted against the football club using the playing fields.

A complaint was later lodged about which councillors should have been allowed to vote on the matter.

The Ombudsman has since found that councillors Arwel Roberts, who also serves on Denbighshire County Council, and Rhuddlan Town Council councillors Mike Kermode, former mayor, and Jackie Burnham, current mayor, had fallen short of the “standards expected”.

In relation to the complaint, the report stated that “it was alleged” that during a town council meeting Cllr Roberts and Cllr Burnham “failed to declare a prejudicial interest” and “made a predetermined decision regarding a proposal from a football club to use and develop a playing field” next to the members’ homes.

It was also alleged that Cllr Kermode failed to declare both a “personal and/or prejudicial interests” at two council meetings as the field was “situated next to the home of a family member”, as well as making a predetermined decision.

The Ombudsman said Cllr Roberts’ and Cllr Burnham’s conduct “was suggestive of breaches” of the code in relation to disrepute and prejudicial interest.

Cllr Kermode’s conduct was also “suggestive of breaches” in regard to disrepute and “interests”, the Ombudsman said.

However, the report concluded that all three councillors “had not acted in a way which was suggestive of a breach of paragraph 8(a) (predetermination) of the code”.

The report quoted the code of conduct which said councillors with prejudicial interest, without dispensation from the standards committee, should “withdraw from the room, chamber, or place” of a meeting.

Cllr Arwel Roberts and Town councillors Mike Kermode and Jackie Burnham were all approached for comment, as was Rhuddlan Town Council.

Papers are confidential 

A spokeswoman for Denbighshire County Council said: “At the conclusion of their investigation, the Ombudsman can refer an investigation report to the Monitoring Officer to be placed before the Standards Committee.

“The Standards Committee has to consider the report, in private without hearing from anyone else, and determine whether, or not, the report contains sufficient information to justify holding a hearing into the case.

“If the committee decides that a hearing should take place, then this will be arranged at a later date, and the presumption is that it will be held in public. If they decide that the report doesn’t justify a hearing, then that would be the end of the matter.

“The Committee is currently at the stage of considering whether or not to hold a hearing. This is why the papers are confidential, and the matter will be considered in private session.”

A spokeswoman for the Ombudsman Wales said: “We have made three referrals which have been sent to the Monitoring Officer of Denbighshire County Council for consideration by its Standards Committee.”