Flintshire: Bernie Attridge suspended after sexual messages

The councillor was contacted in March 2021 by a woman seeking help to find a council house for her granddaughter.

The woman was receiving support from social services at the time after being identified as a vulnerable adult.

Messages were exchanged between the complainant, named only in the panel’s report as “Ms M”, between July 2021 and May 2022, in which the councillor made a number of sexual comments.

Mr Attridge apologised, blaming his misconduct on a traumatic childhood event and mental and physical ill health.

He was suspended from Flintshire council and Connah’s Quay town council for four months.

In a report, the panel said: “Once the respondent had offered to assist Ms M with her granddaughter’s housing issue, the nature of his messaging became more sexualised, and the messages strongly indicated that he was courting some sort of sexual relationship or favour in return.

“In interview, he accepted that he had ‘wanted a woman’ and the power imbalance demonstrated that he had therefore attempted to use his position as a councillor improperly in order to obtain an improper personal advantage.”