Candidate failed to show as councillor

A FORMER Pencoed town councillor who is currently standing as the Conservative candidate in the Bridgend constituency was booted off the town council last year after he failed to attend a single meeting for six months in a row.

Jamie Wallis was elected as a town councillor for the Hendre ward in May 2017 but in August 2018 the town council had to advertise the position because he didn’t attend any meeting for six consecutive months.

Pencoed Town Council clerk Geraint Thomas said Dr Wallis’ last recorded attendance at a council meeting was in February 2018 and the council had not received notification in advance of his absence.

Dr Wallis said the reason why he didn’t attend was because he had moved away from Pencoed to Cowbridge, adding that he had sent a resignation letter to the town council by post and assumed it had been received.

He said: “The relationship between myself and some of the Labour councillors on Pencoed Town

Council had deteriorated to a point where I didn’t want to communicate by email or telephone. I sent my resignation letter by post, I assumed they had got it – I had no contact from them whatsoever except for six months later when they sent me a notice saying I was no longer a town councillor because of my non-attendance.

“By that stage I had taken up a position on Cowbridge Town Council.”

Dr Wallis, who has a PhD in planetary astronomy and science according to his LinkedIn profile, said he couldn’t recall exactly when he left Pencoed because the moving process had taken a few months, with work being done on the new home.

He said: “I lived in Pencoed for a fairly long time from 2008 up to when I moved. I wanted to be a Pencoed town councillor because I lived there and my business is based there as well.

“I joined the town council of Cowbridge, where I served as a town councillor until I resigned when I was selected in August this year to fight the seat of Bridgend for the Conservative Party.”

Asked what he would say to electors who might be worried about his lack of attendance, he said: “During my time as a town councillor, and up until I made the decision to leave, I fulfilled my obligation.

“I was an enthusiastic and passionate member on both town councils.”

Mr Wallis’ businesses comprise the Fields Group, a group of companies involved in IT and digital marketing, and the law firm Endeavour Law.

Mr Thomas said the town council ended up coopting someone to fill the vacancy.