Ex-DUP councillor Luke Poots - son of Edwin Poots - says banning him from office for four years over planning activities 'is a breach of my human right to a fair trial'

The ruling comes from the Local Government Commissioner for Standards, but is moot anyway, since it is understood the former Lisburn and Castlereagh District councillor has no interest in returning to politics in the near future.

The ruling largely relates to the ex-councillor’s stint on the planning committee, and a failure to declare an interest when his father was giving evidence for or against various planning applications.

In a statement issued to the News Letter by his solicitor Patrick Higgins of Donnelly & Wall, and presented at the hearing in Belfast on Thursday, Mr Poots said: “It was a privilege to represent and serve the people of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.

"At all stages I acted in the best interests of ALL constituents.

"At no time did I breach the code of conduct for Councillors. I have been denied a fair and proper hearing and my Article 6 Human Rights have been breached [the right to a fair trial under the European Convention on Human Rights].

"These proceedings are a politically motivated attack on myself and my family.

"Representing the people of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council was the greatest honour of my life.”

Luke Poots topped the poll in the Downshire East district of the council in the 2014 election. He did not stand for re-election.

The commissioner’s office said that ”former councillor Poots had breached the Local Government Code of Conduct for Councillors by failing to declare a conflict of interest while sitting on the council’s planning committee between 2015 and 2019”.

It added: “Between February 2016 and February 2018 there were 35 occasions when the former councillor was present that his father, Mr Edwin Poots MLA, spoke at the planning commitee either in favour of or against a planning application.

“On more than half of those occasions, the former councillor did not declare any conflict of interest. He also remained in the planning committee and participated in the decision-making process in relaon to all 35 applications."

Since there were “multiple breaches of the code over a long period of time,” and since he had shown “non-cooperaon with the process”, it was deemed that he should be disqualified for four years.

The commissioner’s office also made reference to “a planning application submitted originally in the maiden name of former councillor Poots’ mother, and the lack of clarity in the original application that the former councillor was a joint owner of the land”.