A mayor who was convicted of driving while under the influence of cannabis, but who later stood down, has been suspended as a councillor for two months. Carmarthenshire Council's standards committee, which made the decision, also said that Cllr Louise Wride, of Llandovery Town Council, should undertake code of conduct training within the next six months.
The committee heard from Sinead Cook, of the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW), which investigated after receiving a complaint from a member of the public about Cllr Wride following her conviction. The PSOW took the view that Cllr Wride's conviction and subsequent press coverage of it - including a quote attributed to her saying that she had no intention of stepping down as mayor - may have brought the town council and her office as a councillor into disrepute, and was therefore suggestive of a code of conduct breach.
Ms Cook told the committee that Cllr Wride had not been on council duty when she was stopped by a police officer in October, 2020, but that the code of conduct applied to councillors at all times. Cllr Wride pleaded guilty in court in March, 2021 to a charge of driving with the concentration of cannabis in her blood above the specified limit. She was fined and disqualified from driving for 12 months. You can get more Carmarthenshire news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
