Senior councillor resigns over claims he failed to stick to social distancing rules

A senior councillor on Caerphilly County Borough Council has resigned over he claims he did not adhere to social distancing rules.

Labour’s Carl Cuss has quit his social services position in the council’s cabinet after pictures emerged of him allegedly not social distancing.

In a statement released by Caerphilly Council, Cllr Cuss said: “I have notified the Leader of Council of my intention to resign from the Cabinet with immediate effect.

“I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for this lapse of judgement and accept that my actions were regrettable during an ongoing global pandemic.

“The council needs to have a complete focus on tackling coronavirus within the community and I recognise that this matter could have become an unnecessary distraction at such a critical time.”

The picture, which was taken on a boat in the Czech Republic in August, shows Cllr Cuss with three friends, including Cardiff councillor Peter Wong.

Cllr Wong told BBC Wales that he was of the belief that the group had followed the rules that were in place in the Czech Republic.

Cllr Philippa Marsden, Leader of Council said: “I have accepted Cllr Cuss’ resignation and agree it is the right thing for him to do.

“Carl is a dedicated public servant who has worked tirelessly within my Cabinet over recent years to serve the community. However, we all have a collective and individual responsibility to do everything we can to control the spread of coronavirus.

“Our attention needs to be firmly fixed on protecting our community and this remains my key priority.”

Councillor Colin Mann, leader of the Plaid Cymru group on Caerphilly Council, said: “It is very surprising and disappointing that an experienced councillor such as Carl Cuss was pictured failing to adhere to social distancing legislation. Unfortunately this type of incident can adversely affect the reputation of all councillors in the eyes of the public.

“He has done the right and only thing he could do and resign from the Cabinet. With a lockdown in operation in Caerphilly county, it is incumbent on all elected representatives to ensure they set a good example by following the rules in a pandemic. To do otherwise undermines public confidence.”