Councillor caught driving and balancing his phone on cupholder while on Teams call

A councillor was caught in a video call blunder as he was filmed driving while attending a virtual planning meeting.

Dean Lewis raised some eyebrows after he was spotted behind the wheel and taking part in a council meeting in Neath Port Talbot, south Wales.

Footage shows the independent councillor wearing a seatbelt and changing a gear during the planning committee session on Teams.

He appears to take a sip from a drink while discussing an application for 120 holiday homes between two villages.

Lewis was previously suspended from the role for four months following a drink-driving conviction.

He said the latest incident was ‘blown out of proportion,’ although he referred himself to the public services watchdog in Wales, which decided to take no action against him over the January incident.

Cllr Lewis, who initially declined to comment, told the Telegraph: ‘I just think it’s ridiculous. It’s all been blown out of proportion.

‘The reason why it hasn’t gone any further is because when I was driving, I was driving on private land at work.

‘For 90 per cent of the meeting I was sat down in a car park, not driving. Coming towards the end of my shift, I thought, right, OK, I’m going to drive up to the clock-in station.’

He claimed he was driving through private land during the meeting, and that the phone was in the cup holder so he could listen in on the background.

A council spokesman said: ‘The council is aware of the footage from the planning committee meeting held on 20 January and the matters that have been raised.

‘The Ombudsman has now completed their consideration and has notified the council that they will not be undertaking any further investigation.

‘Council meetings are conducted in accordance with the council’s constitution and relevant procedural rules.

‘The council’s arrangements allow for remote participation by members, and the procedures do not include specific provisions relating to the location from which a member may join a meeting.

‘Participation in meetings remains subject to compliance with applicable legal and safety requirements.’

Other officials have been caught out by virtual meeting cameras.

Last year, one Glasgow City councillor forgot to switch off his camera while going to the toilet with his laptop.

A Cheshire parish meeting became an unlikely Internet sensation in 2021 when it descended into chaos when the Handforth Parish Council’s chairman told volunteer Jackie Weaver ‘you have no authority here.’

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