A PONTYPOOL by-election candidate has slammed Torfaen council for stopping her from taking away a copy of the annual list of councillors' expenses.

Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate Kathleen Williams is one of five people standing in the Panteg by-election, which was set for August 6 following the death of councillor Terry Davies at the beginning of June.

Angry Ms Williams said she was initially given permission to get a copy of Torfaen councillors' annual expenses and allowances.

But when she went to collect it the next day, she was told it was not allowed. And she claims it was only after complaining about her treatment that a copy was finally provided.

She said: "It's disgusting. This is supposed to be public information and I am a member of the public, but they have refused to give me a copy of the figures. This is taxpayers' money and taxpayers have a right to know where it is going."

The annual expenses are published every year and are available for members of the public to see.

Each year, the Argus' sister paper, the Free Press, publishes them so that its readers can judge what value for money they are getting from their local representative.

Ms Williams' campaign manager Phil Hobson was equally angered - and baffled - at the refusal to allow her to remove the figures from the civic centre in Pontypool.

He said: "Only that morning, I received a phone call from the council's legal department advising me that there would be no obstruction, only that there may be a charge for a copy. This action clearly breaches public information law and guidelines."

A spokesman for Torfaen council said she was "freely able" to take copies of the expenses register but not a separate table of figures which were subject to an embargo. The spokesman added: "Since last year, the council has helped the local Press compile table of allowances and expenses to ensure that Torfaen electors who can't visit the civic centre get to see this information. This is in addition to our statutory requirements. But, now that the Press have received the table for publication, we have sent a copy to Ms Williams."

The other candidates for the ward are Russell Jones, Independent; Neville Jones, Labour; Stephen Smith, Plaid Cymru; and Kathleen Thomas, Conservative.