A TOP Gwent councillor vowed to clear his name last night after being suspended from his post for one month over his treatment of a social worker.

Monmouthshire councillor Graham Powell (pictured) was suspended by the standards committee yesterday after investigations into a complaint made against him by Colin Berg, corporate director of social and housing services.

The allegation arose from a meeting which took place on August 7, 2002, between two elderly Caldicot residents and social services staff from the council, which Councillor Powell attended.

Committee chairman Glyn Maddocks told the hearing yesterday that afterwards a complaint was made about Councillor Powell by a social worker who alleged that the councillor threatened to throw her out of a window.

Mr Maddocks then told the hearing that Councillor Powell was also accused of trying to intimidate the social worker by threatening disciplinary action against her.

Mr Berg's complaint led to a report being made by the local government Ombudsman which formed the basis for the committee's investigation.

Mr Maddocks said: "You don't agree with the conclusions the Ombudsman has reached that you acted with threatening and intimidating behaviour.

"Were you therefore surprised when a complaint was brought against you?"

Councillor Powell said he knew the social workers felt aggrieved at not getting what they wanted from the meeting, and suspected they might take it further.

Councillor Powell told the committee l from front page that some of the accounts in the Ombudsman's report were "not factual", and said: "I did not abuse, intimidate or threaten anyone."

On considering the report and representations from Councillor Powell himself, Mr Maddocks said: "We have deliberated on the allegations made against you and decided that you have breached the councillor's code of conduct.

"You are to be suspended from your position as a member of the council for one month, beginning September 10, 2003."

Mr Maddocks told Councillor Powell he would receive their reasons in writing in the next three days.

After the hearing, Councillor Powell said: "This is an inexplicable decision. "I regret the standards committee reached this conclusion and I will act upon legal advice as to what to do next.

"I did not contravene any code of conduct or act in any manner which befits such a sentence."

After the meeting, Monmouthshire council's chief legal officer, Murray Andrews, said: "The standards committee has found Councillor Graham Powell in breach of Monmouthshire council's code of conduct.

"The decision was reached after lengthy consideration of the Ombudsman's report following Mr Berg's complaint that Councillor Powell acted in a threatening and intimidatory manner."

Councillor Powell, who has said he will step down at the June 2004 local elections, is the council member for Severn ward of Caldicot and has been in local government for more than 55 years.

A former railway guard, he is a former leader of the present council, former chairman and leader of the old Gwent county council and has been a leading member of the police authority.

l Earlier this month, another Gwent councillor, Torfaen councillor Mike Davies, was removed from all council committees until November after the authority's ethic and standards committee found that he had breached its code of conduct.