A TOP councillor has been told to “reflect” on how they engage in debate after escaping a referral to a disciplinary process.

A member of the public complained Councillor Ian Chander, who is Monmouthshire County Council’s cabinet member for social care, had “intimated” they had lied in a video presented to a council committee.

The Public Service Ombudsman for Wales, which investigated the complaint, as a potential breach of the code of conduct for councillors found no further action is needed but said in its official report: “The member should reflect on how they can make sure they engage in debate so as to uphold appropriate standards of behaviour and the principle of showing respect and consideration for others.”

Katrin Shaw, the Ombudsman’s director of investigations tasked with conducting the probe, also warned: “Should any further concerns of a similar nature be brought to us in the future, we will take this finding into consideration.”

The complaint was sparked after David Abbott, who had been campaigning against the continued closure of the Tudor Street Day Centre in Abergavenny, claimed Cllr Chandler had misrepresented him when responding to the video.

The Abergavenny resident, who is a professor specialising in social services, had alleged council leader Mary Ann Brocklesby had told him that the council would, effectively “pretend” to consider a proposal to keep the day centre open but had already decided against doing so, and this position was unlikely to change.

At the meeting, held on December 1, 2023, Cllr Chandler, who is a Green Party councillor and member of the council’s Labour-led cabinet, responded and disputed the position put forward by Professor Abbott.

Ms Shaw’s report stated: “The member said that the complainant was ‘aware of the true situation…had made serious allegations about the Leader and also a number of inaccuracies’ and ‘I don’t think there’s any excuse for distortions and fabrications’. Although the member did not specifically say that the complainant was lying, the Ccomplainant considered that the member had called him a liar.”

Following the meeting, which the professor hadn’t attended, he emailed Cllr Chandler requesting an apology. When that was refused he complained to the ombudsman.

The investigation found Professor Abbott hadn’t “suffered any actual reputational damage” but said it was an “issue of concern” Cllr Chandler “felt justified in making the comments that they did, using such emotive language” in what they called a “defence” of Cllr Brocklesby when they weren’t aware of what was said at the meeting referred to in the video.

It was also noted Cllr Chandler, who represents Llantilio Crossenny, said they’d seen the video before the meeting so the comments weren’t “spontaneous”.

Ms Shaw found the comments were suggestive of a breach of the code as they failed to show “respect and consideration for others” and stated: “The member could have used far less controversial language to convey their concern and defend their councillor colleague. It is understandable that the complainant was upset by the nature and delivery of the member’s comments about him, in these circumstances.”

Though Cllr Chandler could have been referred to Monmouthshire County Council’s standards committee, which would have been able to consider whether to impose a sanction, Ms Shaw said this wasn’t necessary.

Her report noted Cllr Chandler had been “careful not to call the complainant a liar” but recognised the response “could be interpreted as such and they now regretted using those words” and the motivation had been to defend Cllr Brocklesby who was unable to attend the meeting.

Ms Shaw said she recognised Professor Abbott “was understandably upset and offended” but she did not consider the “comments were sufficiently serious to warrant a referral for consideration of any formal action in the matter”.

in reponse to the report Professor Abbott said he was pleased it was recognised he hadn’t been shown “respect or consideration” and added: “The real story here will always be the massive erosion of service provision for learning disabled people in the town and the really appalling way that the whole Tudor Street scandal was mis-managed.”

Cllr Chandler told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’m grateful that the outcome, after a year of investigation, has decided no further action is necessary.”

The Tudor Centre has since been reopened, by volunteers, under a temporary lease from the council.