A bid to end secret ballots in contentious Pembrokeshire Council appointments has been defeated amid claims the Conservative group whip proposed it only after losing control of his members.

Members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s constitutional review committee rejected Cllr Aled Thomas’s call to change the secret-ballot rules in September, referring it to October’s full council meeting for a final decision.

The constitutional review committee had previously rejected the motion by seven votes to six, before referring it to full council.

The constitution allows secret ballots for contested appointments such as leadership contests; Cllr Thomas wanted them replaced with recorded roll-call votes.

A supporting statement at the September meeting from Cllr Thomas, Conservative Group whip, said: “It is incumbent on us to be as open and transparent as possible to the taxpayers of Pembrokeshire, and residents deserve to know which way their elected councillor is voting.

“Furthermore, as became evident following the 2026 AGM, voting by secret ballot allows for disinformation and bad politics to fester, as there is no factual record of the vote.

“I’m sure all members would agree that this type of nasty politics should be rooted out of Pembrokeshire, and this notice of motion will go some way in improving that.”

Cllr Thomas said the recent AGM’s three-way leadership contest, won by Cllr Tessa Hodgson, prompted Facebook and Twitter posts “spreading disinformation” about councillors’ choices, something he said a recorded vote would have prevented.

But committee members questioned the statement, claiming the motion was really about Cllr Thomas tightening his control over fellow Conservatives as group whip.

Cllr Thomas said his role as group whip was “totally irrelevant” and insisted the motion was an “openness and transparency call”.

At the October meeting, Cllr Thomas said the proposal had prompted “a lot of personal points at myself and my group,” adding: “But the biggest thing here is do we want to be held accountable to the public? It’s not as if this is a new thing to be happening in politics.”

Cllr Jacob Williams, referring to references to personal remarks, again said Cllr Thomas’s call was based on unspecified criticism relating to whether he successfully or not ‘whipped’ his members behind a leadership vote.

He said keeping secret ballots protected councillors from pressure to vote one way or another.

Cllr Thomas’s motion was defeated by 30 votes to 22, with two councillors abstaining.

After the meeting, Cllr Thomas said: “It’s disappointing to see so many Labour, Lib Dem and Independent councillors vote against being open and transparent with the people of Pembrokeshire on how taxpayer money is spent.

“We councillors are elected to make tough decisions, and we should be ready to stand by them and explain them to our electorate, not cower behind secret voting.

“I look forward to seeing a Welsh Conservative-led Pembrokeshire County Council from May 2027 which would scrap this cowardly provision, bringing accountability and transparency back to the heart of the chamber.”

At the May 15 AGM, Cllr Hodgson received 28 votes in the first ballot before winning the second 30-29 against Cllr Anji Tinley.