Luke Poots: Former DUP councillor disqualified for four years

A former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillor has been disqualified for four years by a standards watchdog over serious conflicts of interest in the planning process.

Luke Poots was investigated by the Northern Ireland local government standards commissioner.

He is the son of DUP assembly member Edwin Poots.

The watchdog found Luke Poots breached "multiple" parts of the councillors' code of conduct.

It followed complaints he took part in a council planning committee during decisions for applications his father was lobbying on.

The breaches included a failure to properly declare interests while on Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council's planning committee.

An adjudication hearing on Thursday was told there were 35 planning decisions between 2016 and 2018 where Mr Poots sat on the committee and his father made representations.

Assistant Commissioner Ian Gordon disqualified Mr Poots from being a councillor for four years.

He told the hearing there were multiple breaches "over a prolonged period of time".

"The breaches continued after and despite the legal advice that was given to him," he added.

He said a disqualification was the appropriate sanction "to ensure the preservation of public confidence in local government and reflect the seriousness of the case".

Mr Poots served as a councillor from 2013 until 2019 and had been employed as a case worker in his father's constituency office.

He did not attend the hearing, which was told he had "failed to attend for interview on 10 occasions" during the course of investigations.

Proceedings were adjourned in November after his legal team said they had been "instructed to withdraw".

Mr Poots again did not attend on that occasion, but in a statement read by his solicitor, he denied breaching the code.

He also branded the proceedings a "politically motivated attack" on his family.

"At all stages I acted in the best interests of all constituents. At no time did I breach the code of conduct for councillors," he said.

Responding to the statement, Mr Gordon said: "This adjudication has been impartial, open and transparent throughout."

He said there was "no political motivation to attack Councillor Poots or his family".

Edwin Poots, a former leader of the DUP, was recently elected Speaker of the newly restored Stormont assembly.

He has previously insisted there was no conflict of interest "in any way, shape or form" in relation to the planning committee.

Last year, it emerged a housing application approval which formed part of the standards probe had been reversed following a legal challenge by residents.

The case cost Lisburn and Castlereagh council more than £76,000.