Council took no action over drink-drinking mayor

Shropshire Council has confirmed it took no action against a town mayor who hit a cyclist while more than double the drink-drive limit.

Ryan Davies was convicted in November after admitting a drink-driving offence. He was told to pay a total of £3,017 and disqualified from driving for 20 months, which could be reduced if he successfully completes a drink-drive awareness course.

At the time, the 44-year-old was Mayor of Clun with Chapel Lawn. However, in a statement posted on social media earlier this month, he confirmed he was standing down from the role.

Davies did not mention the incident, but said the role had taken a toll on his personal and professional life.

He said the deaths of his mother and grandfather, plus other life-changing moments, have taken a big toll on his health and he felt something had to give.

“I’ve got a professional job which has suffered due to my commitment to the community, and supporting my family – a higher priority than that,” said Davies.

“Therefore, with a heavy heart I’ve decided to stand down with immediate effect. This decision was very tough as I’ve had such an amazing few years and the support you’ve all shown has been toally overwhelming. But I feel this is the right decision.

“Clun’s an amazing place, social media is not. And those who troll and make unsubstantiated comments need to realise they are stopping others from taking on public roles, which is sad and quite frankly dangerous to the communities they’ve moved to and don’t really understand.”

Police said the cyclist sustained minor injuries following the incident on Rookery Lane, near Knighton, at 10.30pm on May 24 last year.

Tests showed that Davies – who was driving a grey Mercedes – had 183 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80mg per 100ml.

Davies, who lives a short distance away in Cleobury Lane, initially pleaded not guilty to driving a motor vehicle with an alcohol level above the limit, and a trial was set for November 18 at Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court.

However, he changed his plea to guilty and was subsequently sentenced.

Davies – who was re-elected as the chair of Clun Town Council with Chapel Lawn, and the town mayor, in May – was fined £1,869.

A surcharge of £748 and court costs of £400 were also imposed.

On December 2, Clun Town Council with Chapel Lawn held a meeting at Clun Memorial Hall. Davies was not in attendance, with the meeting instead chaired by deputy mayor Councillor Monika Jones.

Davies’s position was raised at the start of the meeting. The town clerk, Gwilliam Rippon, said it was a code of conduct matter that would be dealt with by the monitoring officer.

Shropshire Council has confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it did not take any further action.

A spokesperson said: “Shropshire Council has arrangements for dealing with allegations that a councillor has failed to comply with the code of conduct and relevant legislation, and all allegations are considered in accordance with these arrangements. On this occasion, it was not considered appropriate to take any further action.”

Clun Town Council with Chapel Lawn has not responded.