Councillors will be told compulsory training sessions must be completed, in full

At Powys County Council’s standards committee on Wednesday, October 2, the issue of missing or not completing training sessions was discussed.

At the meeting, the committee decided that senior councillor and former cabinet member, Cllr Liam Fitzpatrick should have to watch a recording of a training session and complete a questionnaire on it after he walked out after less than 20 minutes of the session.

Deputy monitoring officer Debby Jones explained that PCC had agreed in 2015, that if a councillor does not attend two training sessions they will be asked for a verbal or written explanation and the training would still need to be done.

According to the report, if there are continued problems the councillor could end up being suspended for up to a month.

Ms Jones added: “I have not been able to give you an explanation today, there may be one and why people need to leave early.”

Carol Johnson, of democratic services, said: “The sessions were all recorded  and the self evaluation assessment forms can be provided.”

Committee chair and Independent member Stephan Hayes asked: “You will endeavour to do this by the end of the year?”

Ms Johnson said that she would do her best to find a suitable date for the training session for Cllr Fitzpatrick.

Cllr Kath Robert-Jones (Independent – Kerry) said: “I’m quite concerned about some of our younger members that are working.

“Some of them can’t take the time out to come to these.

“So for them, if they can do (training) by the recording, they can do it in their own time.”

Independent member Hugh Pattrick added: “I want to emphasise that this should not be a tick box thing and the assessment needs to be done properly.”

Following the meeting, the Local Democracy Service spoke to Cllr Fitzpatrick, (Non-aligned – Talybont-on-Usk).

Cllr Fitzpatrick, said: “I had a family emergency.

“I do feel that I should have been informed before this meeting so that I could have offered an explanation.”

Cllr Fitzpatrick said he would be contacting the chief executive, Dr Caroline Turner, to discuss the matter further.

On September 2, Cllr Liam Fitzpatrick, (Non-aligned – Talybont on Usk) signed the attendance sheet for a mandatory corporate safeguarding training session for adults and children.

The session started at 10am and Cllr Fitzpatrick is said to have left at 10.18am.

Other councillors who were booked into the session were Cllr Gareth Pugh, (Conservative -Dolforwyn), council leader Cllr Rosemarie Harris (Independent – Llangynidr) and the now adult services portfolio holder Cllr Myfanwy Alexander (Independent, Banwy).

It had been arranged as they had missed a previous session.

Cllr Harris was supposed to be there but was sidetracked as an Assembly Member who was due for a meeting at county hall at 1pm, arrived early.

Cllr Alexander also left early at 11.30am saying that she had another “pressing engagement”.