Gwynedd councilors left cabinet in the front row for pedophiles

Four members of a council cabinet have resigned after their leader refused to apologize to the victims of pedophile headteacher Neil Foden.

On Friday afternoon, Cyngor Gwynedd leader Dyfrig Siencyn rowed back on his earlier interview Newyddion S4Csaying he felt sorry for “all those who have suffered” and would consider his own “situation” this weekend.

Minutes later, four councilors in his Plaid Cymru cabinet resigned, distancing themselves from his original comments.

Foden was sentenced to 17 years in prison for sexually abusing four children between 2019 and 2023.

Siencyn on Friday also rowed back on his initial reluctance in the Newyddion interview to support calls from members of his party to support a public inquiry.

Senior Plaid figures have told BBC Wales that the leader’s original comments on Thursday about Foden had made his position untenable.

A party source told the BBC that the row “cast a shadow” on their party conference, which started in Cardiff on Friday.

Party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has also stopped short of supporting Cyngor Gwynedd’s leader, calling on him to “think about the issue of the apology”.

Foden was head of Ysgol Friars in Bangor and strategic head of Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle, Penygroes, both in Gwynedd.

Becca Brown, Berwyn Parry Jones, Dafydd Meurig and Elin Walker Jones issued a joint statement saying they wanted to “distance themselves from the comments made by leader Dyfrig Siencyn”.

“We stand with the victims,” they said, adding that they fully support calls for a public inquiry.

“We deeply regret that the council’s leadership issues have drawn attention away from what is most important in this tragic situation – the suffering of the women.”

In a statement from the council on Friday afternoon, the leader said: “I sincerely apologize to all those who have suffered at the hands of sex offender Neil Foden and would like to reassure the people of Gwynedd, and in particular the victims, that I and my fellow councilors are determined to leave no stone unturned to determine what went wrong and ensure this can never happen again.”

He added: “Furthermore, in light of the further allegations about Neil Foden in this week’s BBC programme, I support the call for a public inquiry.

“This weekend I will discuss with my fellow members and consider my own situation before deciding on the best way forward.”

He also said he was “saddened” by the cabinet’s resignation and thanked them for their “valuable contribution and tireless work”.

The Plaid source who spoke to BBC Wales welcomed Siencyn’s U-turn but said it had “clearly come too late” for the four councilors who have resigned.

They added that they hoped calls for a public inquiry would be heeded, and that it was “important to remember the victims in all of this”.

They previously said his position was “completely untenable”.

Speak on BBC Radio Wales Breakfastap Iorwerth failed to back Siencyn, saying instead: “I have absolute confidence that the council of Gwynedd understands that there is one job to do here.

“Nothing else matters, and that is to get the truth out on behalf of all those young people who suffered at the hands of this pedophile.”

When asked if he would say sorry, he replied: ‘Anyone involved in any way should of course apologize. We don’t really know yet what the apology is for.’

Independent councilor Emma Hughes called on Siencyn to resign after he initially refused to apologize.

She told Newyddion S4C: “I have discussed it with some of my independent colleagues and we all agree that confidence in Dyfrig’s leadership skills has been lost.”

Although Foden’s convictions relate to offenses in recent years, BBC Wales Investigates has spoken to people who said Foden may have abused pupils since 1979.

Gwynedd’s own review has been criticised, with two victims saying they had not been contacted at all.

In an interview with Newyddion S4C on Thursday: Siencyn refused to apologize to the victims on behalf of the council.

‘We need to deal with this early and quickly, and I think the Pediatric practice assessment is the best way to do this,” he said.

“There is complete agreement on the need to find out what went wrong and whether anything went wrong within our processes.”

Plaid’s MP and MS for the constituency Dwyfor Meirionnydd, as well as Gwynedd cabinet member for education Beca Brown, are among leading party members who have called for a public inquiry.

Liz Saville Roberts, MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said the council has a duty to care for children and should be subject to an independent review.