POLITICIANS who leaked controversial plans to build 15,000 homes in Grazeley to the public breached council conduct, a committee has ruled.

Wokingham Borough Council’s [WBC] Clive Jones and Lindsay Ferris, both Liberal Democrat party members, shared plans for a massive estate near to the countryside village late last year.

The duo maintain the documents were in the public interest and residents had a right to know, however a council standards committee ruled otherwise.

The decision relating to Cllr Jones reads: “The Panel heard sufficient evidence that Councillor Clive Jones released confidential information on 12th October 2016, without raising his concerns about whether it should be released or not with the Monitoring Officer, as described in ‘Guidance on Disclosure of Confidential Information’.

“The Panel therefore found that Councillor Jones breached the Code of Conduct.”

The leaked plans suggested WBC, Reading Borough Council [RBC] and other parties want to build a huge development stretching from the borders of Spencer’s Wood to Mortimer.

The project would see 15,000 homes built over 20 years, as well as shops and other facilities. The site is one of several options being considered by the local authorities.

Residents living near the rural village slammed the plans, and Peter Towndrow, of Grazeley Green, said: " Apart from the major disruption to the area during the building work, 15000 houses equates to at least an additional 30000 cars.

"During my time living in Grazeley Green, the traffic on Goring Lane, which runs through the middle of our hamlet, has intensified to such a degree that even the simple task of driving out of my property is now far more dangerous than it ever was, due, in the main, to the speed of the vehicles, as many of the drivers blatantly ignore the 50 mph limit.

"With an additional 30000 cars a couple of miles down the road I can envisage my access situation just getting worse and worse."

Despite the slap on the wrists by the council’s standards committee, Cllr Jones insists he and Cllr Ferris did the right thing.

He added: “Naturally we are very disappointed that the standards committee have reached this decision. We continue to believe that it was in the public interest that these secret plans were in the public domain.

“We strongly believe that what we did was in the public interest and that it was the correct thing to do. In our opinion this complaint should not have been upheld.”

It was not the first time councillors have found themselves before a standards committee in recent times.

Last year, leader of WBC Cllr Keith Baker was accused of planning to use council cash to help fund the Conservative’s election campaign, but he was fully exonerated.