Calls for councillor to resign over ‘failing to protect public’ at club

A GROUP of town councillors has called on a Carmarthenshire councillor to resign after alleging he did not uphold coronavirus restrictions at a bowls event.

Cllr John James, who represents Burry Port and is also chairman of the authority’s environmental and public protection scrutiny committee, said he had no intention of standing down. He said he had done nothing wrong.

The seven Pembrey and Burry Port town councillors said Cllr James, who is president of Pembrey and Burry Port Bowls Club, attended a club presentation event on September 5 – a gathering which sparked enforcement action.

The club was shut by the town council, which owns the facility. Carmarthenshire Council then issued the club with a two-week closure order.

Photographs taken outside the club at the event showed 28 members, along with guests, all adhering to the rules. However, it is understood that inside the premises, where refreshments were served, this was not the case and that the regulations were not followed by some.

In a statement, town councillors Peter Freeman, Les George, Robert John, John Hedley Jones, David Owens, Mike Theodoulou and Karen Trimble claimed Cllr James handed out awards and made a speech.

“We believe that councillor James as the club president did not honour his duties as our champion public protector as he did not warn against this event nor tried to stop it,” said the statement.

It alleged that his actions were “a betrayal to his community, to his party and the office he holds, and a breach of the Welsh Government’s code of conduct”.

The statement added: “We consider that it may be difficult for the community to trust him as a holder of any office again.

“We call on him to resign from his position as county councillor immediately.”

The councillors said they were making the statement as concerned individuals and were not speaking on behalf of the town council.

In reply, Cllr James said he had spoken to a bowls club official a couple of days before the September 5 event about health and safety, and was satisfied the club was doing everything expected of it.

“The presentation took place on the bowling green with social distancing being observed and the trophies not being handed over to the recipients but being picked up by them,” he said.

Cllr James said he eventually went inside the clubhouse for around 20 minutes before leaving, and considered that everyone was observing social distancing.

He said hand sanitiser was available, and that he did not shake anyone’s hand or make a speech.

Cllr James said he felt the bowls club had run the event in a “diligent and attentive manner”, and that no-one who attended had since shown coronavirus symptoms.

“I have acted unwaveringly and responsibly regarding all issues concerning the coronavirus regulations and have passed on official advice and guidance to assist, and for the sake of others,” he said.

“I haven’t any intention of resigning because I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Cllr James said it was a privilege to serve Burry Port and that he would continue to represent the ward “in the way I pledged I would when I was first elected”.