£20k wind farm deal councillor suspended over 'serious' breach

A road near the proposed Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm site

A Carmarthenshire councillor who failed to declare a £25,000 payment from an energy firm before a vote on its wind farm plan has been suspended.

Councillor Haulwen Lewis, of Llanfihangel-ar-Arth community council, was paid by RWE NPower Renewables Ltd.

She failed to mention the "prejudicial interest" at a planning vote linked to its proposed Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm.

An adjudication panel has now suspended her for three months.

Mrs Lewis and her husband, John, entered an agreement with the company to allow an access road to be built on their land at Carregwen Farm.

'Serious breach'

They were paid £25,000, with a further £30,000 to be handed over if the wind-farm proposal went ahead. The project, since approved, consists of a dozen wind turbines, which are yet to be built.

Mrs Lewis attended a council meeting and secret ballot on 16 January 2012 and failed to disclose the deal.

The Public Services Ombusman for Wales received a complaint in December 2013 and the Adjudication Panel for Wales held a hearing in Carmarthen on Thursday.

It found she fell foul of the council's code of conduct, calling this a "serious" breach and noting she had only admitted it a day before the hearing was due to take place.

Mrs Lewis said she abstained in the vote, with her ballot paper left blank.

She will remain suspended from the community council until November.