Shropshire councillor to face no further action over complaints

Councillor Joyce Barrow, who represents the St Oswald district of North Shropshire on Shropshire Council, was the subject of a hearing of authority's standards sub-committee.

The three-councillor committee decided it was not going to refer either of two complaints to the authority's monitoring officer for investigation.

The decision followed conclusions made in a report prepared by the council's head of democratic and legal services, Claire Porter.

Councillor Barrow had faced two complaints, one from Councillor Dave Tremellen, claimed she had "compromised her position as a member of the North Planning Committee by failing to report breaches of planning law on the part of the British Ironwork Centre, Oswestry."

The second, from Stephen Mulloy, claimed Councillor Barrow "repeatedly failed to disclose the true nature of her interests in relation to the development of a particular area of land and has misrepresented her interests with planning officers."

The land in question is a "ransom strip" partly owned by Councillor Barrow's husband, former Shropshire Council leader, Keith Barrow.

In relation to the first complaint against Councillor Barrow the report says: "The owner of the British Ironwork Centre, who is known to be a close friend of Councillor Mrs Barrow, has stated in the press that he knowingly carried out development which had not been permitted. Councillor Mrs Barrow has responded to the allegation clearly confirming that she had no knowledge of the planning breaches."

On the second complaint the report states: "She appears to have acted appropriately at meetings of Shropshire Council and has alerted officers by email to her interest in the site at Kingfisher Way."