A POWYS cabinet member has hit back over concerns raised that he is unfit to fulfil his new role after he was disqualified from being a company director.

Councillor David Selby – who was re-elected to his Newtown Central and South seat for the town at the Powys County Council (PCC) elections last month – was named to the new-look Liberal Democrat-Labour-run cabinet a few weeks ago, where he will oversee economic development.

In 2017, Cllr Selby, a former Newtown mayor, was barred from being a company director for five years following the liquidation of Rosemex Trading Ltd, a women's fashion retailers in the south of England which traded as Rowland's Clothing and Penny Plain.

The company was established in 2012 with Mr Selby becoming one of the directors. The firm went bust two years later, with a report later finding more than 5,000 customers had made claims totalling £1.7 million.

Cllr Selby, whose five-year disqualification expires in November this year, insists he has not hidden anything from the local authority and the information about him has been readily available to research on the internet. He also defended his record as a councillor – he was first elected to PCC in 2017 – and insists the disqualification holds no significance to his ability to fulfil his role both on the council and the cabinet.

“This relates to an unfortunate and difficult part of my life, which I regret,” he said.

“It does not affect my current role working hard for the area I represent on the council and my new role as a member of the cabinet.

“I am not denying anything that has been said, nor am I hiding anything. Anybody could Google the information. The chief executive of the council is aware, as is the chief legal officer, the council is aware.

“I challenge anyone to look into their past and say nothing has gone wrong in their life. In my case I’m proud of my record as a councillor.

“Now I want to do my job in the cabinet and there’s nothing that prevents me from doing so other than my own ability. I’m going to try and do the job to the best of my ability.”

On the new cabinet Cllr Selby will be the member in charge of a more prosperous Powys portfolio. Included in his role will be overseeing economic development and strategy and regeneration, including the Mid Wales Growth Deal.

A report written by joint liquidator John Kelmanson, filed at Companies House, said: “During the course of investigations it became apparent that the company had, during the course of its trade, utilised as part of its working capital funds which were due to be repaid to customers in respect of goods returned or orders cancelled.

“These funds were disclosed in the directors' statement of affairs and are now believed to total some £568,000 after accounting for returns and refunds.”

It was later reported that a total of 5,051 unsecured creditors – mainly customers who had ordered clothes but not received them – had made claims totalling just over £1.7m.

Meanwhile, Adam Kennerley, another Newtown councillor and Lib Dem member, is also in the spotlight, after it came to light that he was ruled to have committed misconduct in his capacity as a charity trustee in 2020.

Cllr Kinnerley, who was elected to the Newtown North seat by the tightest of margins – he beat out Conservative Dan Rowlands by just one vote (301-300) – was ruled by the Charity Commission to have committed misconduct as a trustee of the Cwm Harry Land Trust.

A report found the charity had failed to file financial information on time for four consecutive years – in 2016 (974 days late); 2017 (911 days late); 2018 (546 days late); and 2019 (97 days late). The report said: “Failure to submit financial information to the commission on time in line with statutory requirements is a breach of sections 162, 163, 164 and 169 of the Companies Act and constitutes misconduct and/or -mismanagement in the administration of the charity.”

Cllr Kinnerley has been approached for comment.

In a letter to PCC’s Lib Dem leader Cllr James Gibson-Watt and council solicitor Clive Pinney, Plaid Cymru group leader Elwyn Vaughan, said: “There are particular concerns now that Cllr Selby has been appointed to the cabinet with responsibility for economic development, while still being barred by the Secretary of State from being a company director, something usually only done in exceptional cases involving mismanagement and the like.

“This will be particularly concerning when having to potentially discuss with government ministers such matters as the Mid Wales Growth Deal yet having been barred by some of the same ministers for conduct in relation to enterprise.”

Cllr Vaughan had asked Cllr Gibson-Watt for advice about how appropriate it is for Cllr Selby to hold a cabinet role.

A spokesman for the Welsh Liberal Democrats said: “The issues that have been raised do not disqualify the individuals for being a councillor nor cabinet member.

“Both councillors have been fully open in regards to the matters raised.”