EXCLUSIVE

FORMER Fairford mayor Chris Roberts has been found guilty of breaching the councillors code of conduct following her involvement in the Village Green saga.

The row involved the Fairford Environmental Society (FES) which attempted to have Lake 104 in the Cotswold Water Park classified as a village green in a bid to thwart development by landowners Cygnet.

At the time Fairford and Cotswold district councillor Chris Roberts MBE lobbied in opposition to the village green application.

FES members Suzanne Jones and Mark Wardle complained to the Standards Committee that Cllr Roberts had made unsubstantiated and untrue allegations in a letter to Gloucestershire County Council.

Cllr Roberts appeared in front of the Standards Committee last Thursday, where it was decided that there were a number of violations of the Code of Conduct.

It was recommended that she undergoes further training on the code, which sets out how councillors should behave.

The complaint against Cllr Roberts was made 18 months ago. A spokesman for CDC said although detailed investigations took longer than they wished, they had to ensure all procedures were followed correctly.

The spokesman also confirmed that Cllr Roberts was told to attempt conciliation with the complainants.

Cllr Roberts also came under fire last year when she, and CDC leader Lynden Stowe, called the Liberal Democrat opposition "morons" on social network site, Facebook. She was asked to resign by two Fairford residents over the matter, just days after receiving an MBE for services to the community.

A spokesman for the Standards Board of England said the morons row case was heard in December and no action would be taken as they were not acting in an official capacity at the time.

More follows.