A CAERPHILLY councillor is being investigated for an “offensive” email sent to the council’s leader criticising his cabinet’s “failings”.

Councillor Graham Simmonds’ conduct will be scrutinised by the authority’s standards committee following a complaint from Councillor David Poole.

Cllr Poole said the email, sent on July 28, breached the code of conduct for councillors in that Cllr Simmonds had “failed to show respect to fellow councillors”.

The email reads: “So nothing that happens in Caerphilly council is anything to do with you? Some would say that’s about right, £45,000 a nice pick up for blaming others?

“We have a cabinet with none of the talents at a cost of £285,000 plus expenses and they and you cannot answer simple questions.

“David, I’m sure you have heard the saying ‘those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them’. Caerphilly and their cabinet parade their failings daily.”

The Independent councillor for Cefn Fforest also criticises the “shredding” of the Labour-led council’s local development plan (LDP) and the “failure” to secure housing in the upper Rhymney Valley “where regeneration is so badly needed”.

Cllr Poole made the complaint to the interim monitoring officer on July 30 having considered Cllr Simmonds to have breached the public behaviour aspect of the code of conduct.

All eight cabinet members have written in support of Cllr Poole’s complaint and are expected to attend the standards committee meeting on Friday.

Cllr Barbara Jones said: “I am extremely disturbed by the email that has been received by the leader. I find [Cllr Simmonds’] remarks offensive, totally untrue and misguided.”

Cllr Sean Morgan said: “All elected member should be big enough to accept criticism, especially from other parties, so I can willingly accept criticism but in this case it was delivered in a derogatory, disrespectful and personally insulting tone.”

Cllr Carl Cuss described the email as “rude and insulting”, while Cllr Nigel George said Cllr Simmonds’ conduct had fallen “well below an acceptable standard expected of a councillor”.

Cllr Simmonds refused to comment before the standards committee meeting.

The committee could conclude that there is a basis to Cllr Poole’s complaint and will decide whether to take further action.

Members could also vote to censure Cllr Simmonds at the next meeting or, if they feel the complain is serious enough, refer the issue to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

According to a council report, around a third of complaints referred to the Ombudsman are made by a councillor against a fellow councillor.