The Ombudsman received a complaint that a Member (“the Member”) of Flintshire County Council (“the Council”) had breached the Code of Conduct (“the Code”). It was alleged that the Member disclosed some confidential information about the Complainant to her neighbours when he had been trying to resolve their concerns.
Information was obtained from the Council, including relevant emails exchanged at the time of events, and information was also obtained from the Police.
Having considered the evidence gathered, the Ombudsman determined that the Member’s actions were suggestive of a breach of the requirement set out in Paragraph 5(a) of the Code, which states that councillors must not disclose information which should reasonably be regarded as being of a confidential nature, without the express consent of a person authorised to give such consent.
However, taking into account that the Member provided an immediate and sincere apology; recognised he should not have disclosed information and provided an assurance the same would not happen again, the Ombudsman determined that no further action was necessary. The investigation found that the Member had accepted, and reflected on, his contribution to the Complainant’s distress, for which he had been apologetic.
Under Section 69(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 2000, the Ombudsman determined that no action needs to be taken in respect of the matters investigated.