A Senedd member and Denbighshire councillor planning to donate his council salary to charity has come under fire and been encouraged to step aside for other candidates.  

Vale of Clwyd MS Gareth Davies also serves on Denbighshire County Council in the Prestatyn South-West ward but has only attended 50 per cent of council meetings since mid-June. 

Earlier this week the MS apologised after it emerged he had broken Senedd rules for using Senedd resources to attend Denbighshire’s virtual meetings from his Cardiff office.  

Conservative Mr Davies currently receives a salary of £14,217 from Denbighshire County Council on top of the £67,649 a year he receives from his MS role. 

After apologising to the presiding officer and the standards commissioner for breaking Senedd rules, Mr Davies said he planned on standing down in May and would be donating his council salary to charity.  

But fellow Denbighshire councillor Paul Penlington has now argued that councillor salaries are intended to enable local people to serve their community, rather than supplement charity incomes.    

“As for giving money to charity, that is public money to enable someone to take on representation of their community within Denbighshire County Council,” said Cllr Penlington.

A spokesman for the Welsh Conservative Party said community projects would soon be able to apply for Mr Davies’ Denbighshire salary –  although the exact amount has not been specified.  

“Gareth is in the process of establishing an application process and will be inviting community groups and charitable causes to apply for grants in the New Year,” he said.  

“The people of South-West Prestatyn will be given information directly in due course.”