Council officer in bowls-build row after buying housing plot

ASENIOR council officer whose department discouraged a bowls centre from using an adjacent plot of councilowned land for expansion later bought it himself with a view to building a house on it.

Mark Williams has been head of property at Caerphilly council since March 2017, before which he was head of community and leisure services at the authority.

Last month he bought a plot of land from the council next to Islwyn Indoor Bowls Centre at Pontllanfraith, near Blackwood.

In 2016 he had been granted planning permission to build a house with at least four bedrooms on the site.

A council report from 2015 sought approval to sell the plot of land and gave a history of the site.

It said that when there was a proposal to sell it for redevelopment, the bowls centre committee objected, saying they wished to extend their existing premises in future.

The report to the council’s cabinet dated June 2, 2015, stated: “The sale of the land was put on hold while leisure officers worked with the bowls centre committee to establish a sustainable proposal and produce a robust business case to support the expansion of the existing facility by developing an outdoor bowling rink adjacent to the indoor bowls arena.

“This work has now been concluded.

“Such a development would be desirable and could help support the bowls centre through the summer months, but officers consider it to be not viable financially, a conclusion reluctantly accepted by the bowls centre committee.”

Independent councillor Nigel Dix said: “I was approached by a local constituent who had concerns about the situation.

“I have been seeking information about it.

“I am not suggesting that Mr Williams has done anything wrong, but I want to be sure that proper procedures have been followed.

“My understanding has been that in circumstances where surplus council land has been offered for sale for housing development, the practice has been for it to be offered to a social landlord like the Pobl Group.

“That is exactly what happened recently when a plot of land was sold close to my home in Blackwood.

“I have been told the plot of land next to the bowls centre was not offered to a housing association, so there appears to be some inconsistency in the way different sites are treated.

“I shall be seeking a full explanation from the chief executive, and if I am not satisfied will take the matter to the Ombudsman.”

A Caerphilly council spokesman said: “The proper procedures were followed in relation to the purchase of the land and in the planning application process.

“It is also important to note that declarations of interest were submitted at the appropriate stages by the officer concerned.”

Barbara Jones, Labour’s deputy leader of the council, said: “It is unfortunate that the integrity and reputation of a professional officer has been called into question in this way.

“We are fully satisfied that this matter has been handled in accordance with our procedures.”

We emailed Mr Williams and asked him how much he bought the plot of land for, whether he played a role in persuading the Bowls Centre Committee not to pursue its interest in the site, at what stage he decided to make an offer for the land and whether he considered that he had a conflict of interest in the matter.

We also asked him whether he intends to live in the house, develop it himself for onward sale or renting, or sell it to a developer.

Mr Williams did not respond to our questions.