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.”
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.
