CEFN FFOREST councillor Graham Simmonds has been given a two month suspension for what the public services ombudsman for Wales called "a pattern of disrespectful and bullying behaviour".

The suspension follows a report from ombudsman Peter Tyndall looking into two allegations of breaches of Caerphilly council’s statutory code of conduct for members.

The first allegation relates to a Caerphilly Council regeneration scrutiny committee meeting on July 7 2009, where Mr Tyndall believes Cllr Simmonds bullied and "attempted to undermine the position" of chairwoman, Cllr Vera Jenkins.

Caerphilly Council’s transportation engineering manager Clive Campbell was due to present a report at the meeting looking into the results of the Blackwood Traffic Study.

This looked into major housing developments and Cllr Jenkins said Cllr Simmonds was concerned these would affect traffic in his ward.

In making a complaint against him, she described Cllr Simmonds’ behaviour as "more aggressive and threatening" than someone expressing a political view.

She said Cllr Simmonds "immediately interrupted" Mr Campbell as he began talking and she asked him five times to show respect, before being on the brink of abandoning the meeting.

In a response to the ombudsman, Cllr Simmonds said the Blackwood Traffic report had been delayed by 14 months and Cllr Jenkins stopped him putting his concerns to Mr Campbell at the meeting.

The second allegation related to a meeting of Cefn Fforest Community Partnership on July 9 2009.

Caerphilly Council’s senior community regeneration co-ordinator Tina McMahon said Cllr Simmonds refused to agree the partnership’s accounts without giving reason and stopped the meeting progressing.

Ms McMahon said she had witnessed "bullying and aggressive behaviour" from Cllr Simmonds before and on this occasion she removed her staff from an "inappropriate and hostile environment."

Gwent Police inspector Kevin Childs was at the meeting, he described Cllr Simmonds as "aggressive", saying the meeting deteriorated "out of control".

Cllr Simmonds told the ombudsman the meeting was "very fractious from the outset" and he was prevented from asking about a cheque cashed by the partnership that wasn’t visible in the accounts.

Independent councillor Simmonds has been the elected member for the Cefn Fforest ward since 1999.

In his report, ombudsman Mr Tyndall said Cllr Simmonds was "rude and disrespectful" to Cllr Jenkins and Mr Campbell, concluding: "In my opinion, there was a pattern of disrespectful and bullying behaviour that brings Cllr Simmonds’ office and the council into disrepute."

After considering the report, Caerphilly Council’s standards committee determined Cllr Simmonds breached the members code of conduct and suspended him for two months.

It means he cannot carry out councillor duties. He now has 21 days to appeal to the Adjudication Panel for Wales.

Cllr Simmonds refused to comment.