A former town councillor has been barred from standing in local elections for two years after falsely declaring he was able to stand for election in 2018 (pdf).
The Adjudication Panel for Wales – the body responsible for investigating code of conduct breaches by councillors – ruled on 10th June 2022 that former Conservative Pencoed town councillor, Gordon Lewis:
“….deliberately or recklessly completed election paperwork which falsely declared that he was eligible to stand for election in 2018, and having continued to act as Member despite being disqualified.”
– Adjudication Panel for Wales
Lewis was elected unopposed to a vacancy in the Hendre ward in November 2018.
He resigned from the town council in 2020 when it was revealed in the UK press that he was handed a 16-month suspended sentence in 2015 for affray and common assault.
As things stand, people with a prison sentence (including suspended sentences) of 3 months or longer are barred from running as a councillor if the conviction was within five years of polling day, meaning the earliest point at which Lewis could’ve run would’ve been sometime in 2020.
During the 2022 local elections, Gordon Lewis was the electoral agent for Conservative candidates standing across the county. He was also reportedly the election manager/campaign co-ordinator for Bridgend MP, Jamie Wallis, in 2019. One of the roles of an election agent is to ensure candidates “are aware of and comply with election law”.
Bridgend Council’s Standards Committee was due to note the Panel’s report yesterday (23rd June 2022) and Lewis is barred from running in local elections for 24 months from the date of the ruling, meaning the earliest he can run is June 2024. He has a right to appeal the decision in the High Court.
