Gwynedd Council leader quits over paedophile headteacher row

A council boss has quit over a row about conducting an inquiry into a paedophile former headteacher.

Plaid Cymru‘s Dyfrig Siencyn has announced he will stand down as leader of Gwynedd Council after he initially failed to apologise to the victims of convicted paedophile Neil Foden.

In July, former headteacher Foden was sentenced to 17 years in prison for sex offences against four girls.

Mr Siencyn’s resignation comes after four members of the council quit the cabinet after an interview he gave to Welsh language broadcaster Newyddion S4C.

The four councillors called for a public inquiry and an independent review of the council’s processes.

In the interview, Mr Siencyn failed to apologise to the victims of Foden, but later issued an apology and echoed calls for a public inquiry.

In a statement on Thursday, Plaid Cymru Gwynedd confirmed Mr Siencyn had offered his resignation as group leader at a meeting on Wednesday.

The group’s chair, Cai Larsen, confirmed his resignation was accepted at the meeting.

“All group members wish to express their sincere gratitude to councillor Dyfrig Siencyn for his work and dedication as leader over the past seven years. We wish him well for the future,” Mr Larsen added.

“The election of a new leader for the group will take place, in due course, in accordance with our normal procedure and processes.”

Mr Siencyn said in a statement that it had been “a privilege and an honour to lead Cyngor Gwynedd over the past seven years”.

“I must acknowledge that this most recent period – and the horrific information which has come to light about the unforgivable crimes of the paedophile Neil Foden – has been the most challenging for the council as an authority and for myself as leader,” he added.

“I am deeply sorry for the pain the victims and their families have gone through at the hands of this man, and they remain at the forefront of my mind.”

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In a joint statement last week, councillors Beca Brown, Berwyn Parry Jones, Dafydd Meurig and Elin Walker Jones said they were resigning “due to fundamental differences between [them] and the leadership regarding how to respond to what Foden did”.

“We wish to sincerely express our heartbreak and deepest apologies to the victims of sex offender Neil Foden for the horrific experiences they have had to endure because of him,” they added.

“We deeply regret that the council’s leadership issues have drawn attention from what is most important in this tragic situation – namely the suffering of the girls. Girls who went to school, and who were supposed to be safe.”

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Plaid Cymru’s leader at Westminster and MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd Liz Saville Roberts said Mr Siencyn “deserves to be remembered as the leader of one of Wales‘s most progressive councils”.

She said he had been a “steadfast” leader for Gwynedd since 2017 “in the face of immense challenges”.

Gwynedd Council says a new leader will be elected at a full council meeting in due course.