Unionist Councillor Suspended for Conflict of Interest Violations

Independent Unionist Councillor Suspended

An Independent Unionist councillor at Ards and North Down Borough Council has been suspended for three months over conflict of interest breaches. Councillor Wesley Irvine was suspended on Friday, June 13, for three months following an adjudication by the Local Government Commissioner for Standards.

The decision related to funding applications for organisations Mr Irvine was involved with. An initial statement from the Local Government Commissioner for Standards does not detail the organisations in question.

Background and Details of the Incident

Councillor Wesley Irvine, who represents the Bangor Central district electoral area, left the DUP in March 2022, to support independent unionist MLA Alex Easton in his campaign to be re-elected in North Down at that time. Mr Easton has since been elected MP for North Down.

The suspension announced on Friday relates to the councillor’s failure to deal properly with a conflict of interest at two council meetings. An item on the agenda of both meetings was considering funding applications for organisations of which the councillor was a member.

The Local Government Commissioner for Standards statement reads: “The investigation found that despite two branches of the organization being ineligible for funding, Councillor Irvine had still proposed that both should receive council money. Although this proposal was not voted on, the councillor proposed a further motion seeking to have both applications scored, despite their ineligibility...

Code of Conduct Breaches and Conclusion

Commissioner Margaret Kelly found that Councillor Irvine had breached several rules of the Code of Conduct for Councillors, including those about seeking preferential treatment and declaring interests. She concluded that the councillor's actions could lead to a perception of seeking preferential treatment for the organization.

In deciding the sanction, Commissioner Kelly considered public interest and mitigating factors, ultimately imposing a three-month suspension. The Commissioner’s full written decision will be made available soon on the Local Government Commissioner for Standards.

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