Shropshire mayor who hit cyclist with car while twice the drink-drive limit stands down
A Shropshire mayor who hit a cyclist with his car while more than double the drink-drive limit has stood down.
Ryan Davies, who was the Mayor of Clun with Chapel Lawn, was convicted in November after admitting to 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.
In a statement on social media this week, Davies did not mention the incident but said the role had taken a toll on his personal and professional life.
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 the 44-year-old – 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 also 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.
The town council was due to meet again on Wednesday (January 7), but the meeting was cancelled due to the poor weather conditions.
However, Davies took to social media on Tuesday evening stating that he was standing down as mayor after holding the role for nearly four years.
“The last 12 months have personally been a struggle,” he said.
“Taking on the position for another term after three years was perhaps a distraction I thought I needed with the sale of the family farm going on and other personal issues going on behind the scenes – I didn’t realise the extra weight it was putting on my shoulders.
“The role has changed my perception of what goes on in the community.
“A lot of people doing as much as they can for their community and I can’t praise them enough. Every official that I’ve hosted visits for all make the comment ‘what an amazing place to be’.”
Davies went on to say that 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.”
