Bid to End Secret Ballots in Pembrokeshire Council Sparks Controversy

A bid to end secret ballots in contentious Pembrokeshire Council appointments sparked claims its Conservative proposer only called for it after losing control of his group in a recent leadership challenge.
At a September 21 meeting, Pembrokeshire County Council’s constitutional review committee considered Cllr Aled Thomas’s motion to change the constitution’s secret ballot rules.
The constitution allows secret ballots for contested appointments; Cllr Thomas wants them replaced with recorded roll-call votes.
A supporting statement from Cllr Thomas, Conservative Group whip, said: “It is incumbent on us to be as open and transparent as possible to the taxpayers of Pembrokeshire, and residents deserve to know which way their elected councillor is voting.
“Furthermore, as became evident following the 2026 AGM, voting by secret ballot allows for disinformation and bad politics to fester, as there is no factual record of the vote.
“I’m sure all members would agree that this type of nasty politics should be rooted out of Pembrokeshire, and this notice of motion will go some way in improving that.”
Cllr Thomas said the recent AGM’s three-way leadership contest, won by Cllr Tessa Hodgson, sparked Facebook and Twitter posts “spreading disinformation” about councillors’ choices and claimed a recorded vote would have prevented that.
Cllr Jacob Williams then challenged Mr Thomas to explain the “nasty politics” mentioned in his statement.
Cllr Thomas replied: “There are members of the chamber making statements about other members of the chamber and how they voted when there was no factual information. People, I believe, were making false accusations after the leadership announcement, used in a way to try and change the public’s perceptions when there was no factual basis.”
He added: “Members in the chamber were suggesting that members of my political group changed their voting, I don’t believe that some of the comments made were a true finding.”
Deputy leader Cllr Paul Miller asked whether speculation over AGM votes was really “bad” — or whether secret ballots protected councillors from pressure, then asking Conservative group whip Cllr Thomas whether the proposal was really about tightening his control over party members.
Cllr Thomas said his role as group whip was “totally irrelevant” and repeated that the motion was an “openness and transparency call”.
Cllr Williams suggested Cllr Thomas’s call was motivated by him “feeling he failed to control his group,” later adding: “This is sour grapes because things didn’t go your way.”
Cllr Rhys Jordan later called for the motion to be adopted.
Cllr Thomas said that, despite “a lot of focus on my personal circumstances,” his aim was to “be more transparent with the public, the people who vote for us,” adding: “This just goes some way in Pembrokeshire to show we’re an honest council, a council that tries its best.”
Cllr Thomas’s motion was defeated by seven votes to six, but it is expected to go before a future full council meeting. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​