THE leader of Herefordshire’s second largest opposition party will have to wait to discover his punishment for taking confidential documents.

It’s Our County boss Councillor Mark Hubbard is said to have taken private documents from the room of a council officer and breached the members’ code of conduct by leaking confidential information to the Hereford Times.

Both breaches relate to the multi-million pound Old Livestock Market (OLM) development.

The case was discussed by full council on Friday when Councillor Nick Nenadich told members the IOC man’s actions fell “well below the behaviour we expect”.

Coun Hubbard was not present at the meeting but his IOC colleagues supported him.

“I know he was applauded for what he did by some members of the public,” said Coun Marcelle Lloyd-Hayes.

A standards panel heard he had removed the documents having ”acted on impulse in a heightened emotional state” after being denied access to paperwork. He later returned them. 

For the Hereford Times leak, which made front page news on April 5, Coun Hubbard said he thought he was acting in the public interest in disclosing a report containing commercial OLM information.

Full council was asked to note the breaches by Coun Hubbard but the matter was adjourned until the next meeting in March to allow councillors to read a fresh report.

Coun Hubbard this week said: "This is just petty politics being played by the administration because we are quite good at our jobs.”