A former county councillor would have faced disciplinary action for breaching the code of the conduct if he was still a member after saying in a meeting last year that “foreigners” were to blame for pressures on ambulance services in Ceredigion.

Lloyd Edwards lost his seat representing Penparcau in May’s elections, standing as an independent after resigning from the Liberal Democrats group following a backlash over his comments.

He also referred himself to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW), which issued its ruling earlier this year, now seen by the Cambrian News.

During a Ceredigion County Council meeting on 9 December 2021, then councillor Mr Edwards suggested immigrants were to blame for increasing pressure on the Welsh Ambulance Service, stating “they don’t pay for the service and they get the same service the ordinary people get”.

While discussing a notice of motion to reduce the number of ambulances at Cardigan and Aberystwyth during the December meeting, Cllr Edwards stated: “I’ve listened to everyone speaking. Nobody knows why these cuts are being made.

“In my opinion, we are at fault here and the government as well.

“I believe a lot of immigrants have come into this county and then they get the same help as people that have been born and bred in the county.

“That puts more pressure on the ambulance staff and the Welsh Government haven’t kept going with what they’ve done by bringing the immigrants into Wales and Ceredigion.­

“I’m talking about people from overseas. They don’t pay for the service and they get the same service the ordinary people get.”

A PSOW report found that while Mr Edwards’ remarks “did not extend to gratuitous or personal comment or hate speech and would not have been interpreted as representative of the views of the council,” they “could be considered divisive and disrespectful, and suggestive of a breach [of the council’s code of conduct] in failing to show respect and consideration for others.”

The report said: “Information was obtained from the council including a transcript of what the former member had said in the meeting, minutes of council meetings, and comments from the former member.

“The Ombudsman found that following the incident the former member had stepped down from their political party to sit as an independent member.

“During the investigation the former member stood in the election on 5 May 2022 and was not returned by the local electorate.

“The Ombudsman considered that, as the former member’s role was ultimately decided by the local electorate and they were no longer a member of the council, any sanction which could be given if a breach of the code of conduct was found by the council’s Standards Committee would be limited and therefore it was not in the public interest to take any further action.”