A former town councillor and mayor has been disqualified from local council roles for three years due to sending unsolicited love notes and gifts to several women. Ex-Plaid Cymru councillor Steve Davies, who represented the village of Penparcau on Ceredigion Council and Aberystwyth Town Council since 2012, had served as mayor of Aberystwyth between 2017 and 2018. The tribunal panel found that Mr Davies caused discomfort to women, breaching conduct codes, with police even recording his behaviour as stalking.
One incident involved Mr Davies repeatedly leaving love notes for a woman he didn’t know, despite being asked to stop. Another incident at Penparcau Community Hub saw allegations of inappropriate comments and harassment towards female workers. The tribunal heard of Mr Davies visiting vulnerable women in their homes during the pandemic, referring to them as “My old ladies, the ladies who vote for me.”
Further complaints surfaced, including Mr Davies pursuing a woman with gifts and cards, causing her discomfort at her workplace and upon visiting her home. Despite interventions by the council and police, Mr Davies persisted, leading to his eventual disqualification from council roles for three years by a closed case tribunal meeting in August.
The panel unanimously found Mr Davies had violated codes of conduct in multiple instances, prompting his resignation from council positions in October 2023. The tribunal’s report highlighted his inappropriate behaviour towards women and the disregard for boundaries, resulting in the significant penalty imposed on him.