Councillor suspended for 'Wales for Welsh people' comments

Terry Davies was found to have used discriminatory language by Carmarthenshire Council

A Plaid Cymru councillor who dubbed two colleagues "outsiders" has been suspended after telling them "Wales is for Welsh people".

Terry Davies was found to have used discriminatory language by Carmarthenshire council's standards committee against fellow councillors Andre McPherson and Suzy Curry.

It also decided he probably swore at Mr McPherson outside a playground.

The ombudsman previously said Mr Davies called the Labour members "outsiders".

It said he was abusive toward fellow Llanelli councillor Suzy Curry, as well as Andre McPherson

It said it was undisputed he had said that and that he dubbed them "drop-in councillors", saying: "Wales is for Welsh people, and we have a Welsh community here."

All three politicians cover Llanelli council's Tyisha ward.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service the standards committee said the public could have heard the discussion at the playground, which happened on 9 February, 2021.

It said Mr Davies was not subjected to abuse from the Labour councillors, as he claimed.

The committee said he referred to "two outsiders I had a strong chat with today" in a Facebook post.

It said the comment was directed at Mr McPherson and Ms Curry and not two "druggies" from England, as he had claimed. The post was later deleted.

At a hearing on 12 April, Mr Davies' barrister David Daycock said his client was a passionate Welshman who felt you needed to be from Tyisha to understand the issues there.

Mr Daycock said: "He may have let his emotions get the better of him."

It decided he probably swore at Mr McPherson outside a playground

He added councillors should have "thicker skin and greater tolerance", and that Mr Davies' comments should have been taken as "part of the rough and tumble of political debate".

The ombudsman's report concluded the behaviour of Mr Davies, then deputy mayor and now a county councillor, suggested four code of conduct breaches.

The committee decided if Mr Davies' language had been heard by the public it would have brought Mr Davies' office and the town council into disrepute.

As well as suspending him from the town council for a month it recommended he undertook code of conduct training.

Afterwards, Mr Davies maintained he had not sworn or used discriminatory language.

Llanelli Town Council declined to comment.