DUP: Councillor Linda Clarke suspended for three months after failure to declare interest

Alderman Linda Clarke has been suspended from her role on Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council after she failed to declare an interest whilst her husband was addressing the planning committee.
Linda Clarke

DUP Councillor Linda Clarke has been suspended by the Local Government Standards Commissioner for three months for failing to declare an interest in planning decisions that her husband lobied on.

Linda Clarke sat on the planning committee of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council when her husband, Trevor Clarke MLA, ran a business that lobbied on planning applications.

The Adjudication Commissioner, Ian Gordon, found that she breached the code of conduct for Councillors by “being present during a planning committee’s discussions of two planning applications where representations were made by her husband.”

“Alderman Clarke did not declare an interest in either matter, did not leave the meeting, and participated in the voting.”

Trevor Clarke is a DUP MLA for South Antrim; he employs his wife, who works in his constituency office. Pic: DUP

The Commissioner also noted that despite the Council lawyer providing Mrs Clarke with guidance on the relevant provisions of the code, she chose to remain in the meeting.

“It would appear that the Councillor did not understand the implication of perception, by a member of the public, of influence and prejudice arising if she failed to declare her interest and leave the Committee room where an application involved representations by her MLA spouse and her employer.”

– Adjudication Commissioner Ian Gordon

Alderman Clarke accepted the breaches and apologised for them, but the Commissioner handed her a three month suspension.

He noted it was necessary to discourage similar conduct by other Councillors, and to uphold public confidence in the standards regime.

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