Richard Clewer questioned after awarding £8k portfolio to his wife

His wife, who is a councillor for the Redlynch and Landford division, has become the Portfolio Holder for Communications, a role which will earn her a “special responsibility allowance” of £8,927 per year, along with her basic councillor’s allowance of £15,869 per year.

Edward Kirk, now an “ungrouped” councillor, considers this to be “problematic.”

He said: “During a group Teams meeting where the leader announced his decision, I expressed the need for public accountability, but this was dismissed.”

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Councillor Kirk claimed that the portfolio did not previously exist, which Councillor Clewer denied.

Councillor Kirk has represented Trowbridge Adcroft since 2017. (Image: Councillor Edward Kirk)

Councillor Clewer argued that although the portfolio has not been awarded in recent years, in 2020, the previous Leader of the Council, Philip Whitehead, appointed Councillor Chris Williams as Portfolio Holder for MCI, Communications, AONB, ESIF and Canals.

Nevertheless, Councillor Kirk said the portfolio “lacks a published job description” and “is accountable to no one other than the leader himself.”

He said: “While I acknowledge that the leader is entitled, under the council’s constitution, to establish numerous portfolio positions and to allocate the taxpayer-funded annual allowance of £8,927 to anyone he chooses, including members of his own household, I find this approach problematic.

“I do not believe it aligns with the Nolan principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.”

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“At the time this decision was made, I had already departed from the Conservative WhatsApp group due to my dissatisfaction with its management by the leader, and I was unaware of the ongoing discussions or the fact that information had been leaked to the press.

“I declined a portfolio offer from the leader because I disagreed with the role and the principle that one should be beholden to the leader rather than elected to the position.”

He added: ​”I continue to be a Conservative on the Town Council and have actively canvassed for my excellent, hardworking MP, Michelle Donelan.”

Leader of the Council, Richard Clewer

Councillor Clewer told the Local Democracy Reporter that he believed the decision was a “sensible thing to do.”

He said: “It’s about having someone who can join up the various different threads from the administration side and the officer’s side.”

He explained that the role involved putting the “right messaging across” to ensure people are “better informed.”

Regarding Councillor Kirk’s decision to leave, Councillor Clewer said: “Edward has been trying to get changes made to the way that Portfolio Holders or various posts are filled for a long time, and not been making any headway with the group.”

He added that Councillor Kirk “wants votes on everything”, which isn’t feasible for an organisation which runs at the “scale and speed” of Wiltshire Council.

Councillor Clewer also noted it was the second time that Councillor Kirk had left the group in recent years.

He said: “He was persistently trying to make the same points and they were becoming disruptive, and that isn’t helpful for a political group.

“In politics, none of us get what we want all the time, or even most of the time, it’s all about compromise, and Ed really wasn’t able to get the idea of compromise.”

He added: “I spoke to most of the group to make sure that other people were happy, I also spoke to officers to make sure that they didn’t feel that there was a significant conflict there.”

He concluded: “I don’t see it as problematic. I’ve appointed someone who has got the right skills for a job that I think needs doing.”

The leader of Wiltshire’s Liberal Democrat group, Councillor Ian Thorn, said: “It’s always dangerous in public life to promote a member of your family.

“You have to be absolutely confident of your decision. I suggest Richard should think again.”