Apologies were given to a councillor after she revealed that changing the date of a council committee meeting had caused her difficulties due to work commitments.

At the end of a meeting of Powys County Council’s Democratic Services committee, on Tuesday, September 2, Cllr Sarah Williams (Labour - Abercraf and Ystradgynlais) asked why the meeting had been moved from Monday, September 1.

Cllr Williams is one of two councillors who is expected to appear before the council’s Standards committee next month to explain why she has attended only 40 per cent of the meetings she was supposed to between May 14, 2024, and May 14, 2025.

The requirement is that councillors attend a minimum of 60 per cent of committee meetings during this period.

Cllr Williams said: “I know this meeting was supposed to have been yesterday and was changed.

“If there was a diary clash, I could not see anything, but I understand it may have been with other people in this committee.

“But when you’re working it’s really difficult to change things.”

She asked when the meeting had been rescheduled.

Head of legal services and monitoring officer Clive Pinney explained that the original date and time for the meeting clashed with a non-public meeting of the Cabinet and Corporate Leadership Team that he had been expected to attend.

Mr Pinney said: “Because I was required to attend that, I could not be at DSC (Democratic Services committee) as well.

“I had that discussion with the chair (Cllr Graham Breeze) who kindly agreed to change it.

“We did this about three to four weeks ago.”

Cllr Breeze (Powys Independents – Welshpool Llanerchyddol) confirmed that this had been the case.

Mr Pinney added: “Apologies for any confusion. We do try to avoid clashes, but this one just happened.”

Cllr Williams said: “I managed to change things around so I can be here today, but it isn’t easy and when you’re being asked by Standards (committee) about your attendance.

“It’s quite difficult and things like this need to be taken into account.”

Cllr Breeze said: “It was unfortunate, when Clive (Pinney) came to me with the reasons there was no alternative on this occasion. I’m sorry.”

Cllr Williams was one of three councillors whose attendance levels were discussed at a meeting of the Standards committee back in June.

Cllr Josie Ewing (Liberal Democrat - Llandrindod South) had also failed to meet the 60 per cent threshold but she provided an explanation for this to the committee.

Her attendance level dropped after returning from maternity leave and needing to find daycare for her children, a reason the committee accepted.

Both Cllr Williams and former chairman of the Planning committee, Cllr Karl Lewis (Llandinam with Dolfor) who defected from the Conservative party to Reform UK earlier this year, had been contacted several times by the committee to provide an explanation for missing the attendance target.

Due to this, both councillors are now expected to attend the next Standards committee meeting to provide an explanation.