Apology and compensation for ex-Powys council leaders

The councillors complained after being criticised by former chief executive Jeremy Patterson

The former leader and deputy leader of Powys council have received an apology and £1,000 in compensation from the authority.

Barry Thomas and Graham Brown's complaint about being criticised at a full council meeting was upheld by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

A second complaint about the handling of the investigation has been upheld after two years, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council accepted the decision.

Both councillors stood down at the elections in May 2017. But a few months later they were criticised at a full council meeting by former chief executive Jeremy Patterson.

Mr Patterson went off sick and left the council in September 2018.

Both councillors complained about the comments, made after a critical inspection report into children's services, and their complaint was upheld by the ombudsman in December 2018.

But their second complaint - about how the investigation was handled - has taken two years to resolve.

The report by ombudsman Nick Bennett was completed in March but, due to the coronavirus pandemic, has only just been published and made available to the public.

A spokesman for Powys County Council said: "I can confirm the council has sent a letter of apology and paid what the Ombudsman recommended."