A PENPARCAU councillor has been suspended following alleged inappropriate behaviour towards women.

Cllr Steve Davies, who represents Penparcau on Ceredigion County Council and Aberystwyth Town Council, has been suspended by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales for a period of up to six months for alleged breaches of the code of conduct.

The various alleged incidents of inappropriate behaviour towards different women occurred between March 2020 and January 2023.

Cllr Davies was suspended following an interim case tribunal on 10 July.

A full case tribunal will be heard ‘in due course’.

The former Aberystwyth town mayor was suspended by Plaid Cymru in January this year, but no details were released at the time around the reason for the suspension.

Aberystwyth Town Football Club also confirmed in January that Cllr Davies has been banned from the social club at Park Avenue.

In a statement released on Thursday morning, The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales said: “During the investigation, the Ombudsman issued an interim report to the Adjudication Panel for Wales (‘the APW’) recommending that it was in the public interest for Councillor Steve Davies to be suspended immediately from his role as a councillor on both local authorities, pending the conclusion of the Ombudsman’s investigation of the complaint.

“The APW’s Interim Case tribunal found that the prima facie evidence was such that it appeared that Councillor Davies has failed to comply with the Code of Conduct and that it was in the public interest to suspend Councillor Davies for a period of up to 6 months, pending the outcome of the Ombudsman’s investigation.

“As this was an Interim referral, no findings of fact have been made at this stage, this will be a matter for a Case Tribunal to decide, should the Ombudsman decide to refer the matter to the APW when her investigation has concluded.”

A spokesperson for Ceredigion County Council told the Cambrian News this afternoon: "The county council is aware of the decision of the Adjudication Panel for Wales’s (APW) Interim Case tribunal dated 10/07/23 in relation to Councillor Steve Davies.

"The council will now await expiry of the relevant appeal period."