A Wokingham councillor broke the authority’s code of conduct over his involvement in a vote for new homes where he represented, a panel has found.
Councillor Wayne Smith faced a standards panel at Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) on Tuesday, January 7, after a resident complained of his conduct during a planning committee meeting in February 2024.
During this meeting, members voted against a plan for 23 new homes in Hurst. Cllr Smith represented this area for two decades but has since been elected to the Thames ward following boundary changes in May 2024.
The conservative was also a member of Hurst Parish Council and chaired a meeting where members ‘unanimously’ decided to object to the scheme ahead of a vote at the borough-level in February.
But he did not explicitly mention this when declaring an interest at the planning committee. He said: “I’ve read the report, I’ll listen to the presentation this evening after which I’ll make up my own mind.”
An investigation by Neil Allen, head of legal services at WBC, found Cllr Smith should not have participated in the vote on the new homes in Hurst, and that he had not declared his interest on the matter correctly.
A member must declare an interest in a matter when the decision would affect them personally or professionally.
The standards panel, which was held in private, agreed with Mr Allen’s findings on the parish council membership.
Its decision, published on January 16 said: “Councillor Smith should have declared an interest relating to his attendance at the meeting which approved the objection and that he had submitted the objection to Wokingham Borough Council (WBC).
“Consequently, the Panel believed that Councillor Smith should not have taken part in the subsequent decision at the WBC Planning Committee.”
The council’s monitoring officer will arrange training for Cllr Smith on the declaration of interests.
The panel also recommended that all councillors be given guidance on membership of local campaign and social media groups.
Cllr Smith told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that Mr Allen’s report ‘mis-stated the facts of this case’.
He said that he did not ‘write’ Hurst Parish Council’s objection to the scheme, but ‘forwarded’ it on behalf of the Parish Clerk who was ‘unwell’.
Cllr Smith also said he sought legal advice before the planning meeting, Mr Allen’s report said this advice was incorrect.
