The Standards Community Sub-Committee of Powys Council met on Wednesday, 17 September 2025, to consider a report from the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales and to discuss procedures for dealing with allegations against councillors. The meeting was scheduled to include a confidential item and a discussion of a complaint against Councillor Phil Pritchard of Welshpool Town Council.

Report of the Deputy Monitoring Officer

The committee was scheduled to consider a report prepared by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (the Ombudsman) under Section 71(2)(C) of The Local Government Act 2000 regarding a complaint against Councillor Phil Pritchard of Welshpool Town Council.

A supplementary pack was provided to the committee for this agenda item, including a document outlining the Procedure for Dealing with Allegations made against Councillors and referred to the Standards Committee.

The procedure document states that under Section 69 of the Local Government Act 2000, the Ombudsman may investigate alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct by members of the council or community councils in the council's area. The document outlines the process the committee will follow when making decisions about the conduct of councillors following investigations by the Ombudsman or the council's Monitoring Officer¹.

The procedure includes:

• The Monitoring Officer² investigating referrals from the Ombudsman.
• The Standards Committee making an initial determination of whether there is evidence of a failure to comply with the Code of Conduct, or whether the member should be given the opportunity to make representations.
• If representations are to be made, the Standards Committee will convene a hearing to consider any response made by the member.
• Following the hearing, the committee must determine whether there is no evidence of failure to comply with the code, whether the member has failed to comply but no action needs to be taken, whether the member should be censured, or whether the member should be suspended or partially suspended for a period not exceeding six months.

The document also includes Sanctions Guidance issued by the President of the Adjudication Panel for Wales under Section 75(10) of the Local Government Act 2000. The guidance is intended to assist the Adjudication Panel for Wales' case, appeal and interim case tribunals when considering the appropriate sanction to impose on a member who is found to have breached their authority's Code of Conduct.

The guidance outlines the role of the ethical framework and Code of Conduct in promoting high public standards, the role of the Adjudication Panel for Wales, and the approach to be taken by tribunals in determining sanctions. It states that the purpose of sanctions is to:

provide a disciplinary response to an individual member's breach of the Code;

place the misconduct and appropriate sanction on public record;

deter future misconduct on the part of the individual and others;

promote a culture of compliance across the relevant authorities;

foster public confidence in local democracy.