AN investigation into a row that split Helston Town Council more than two and half years ago has finally been completed.
Cornwall Council's standards committee has now ruled that former Helston town councillor Vicki Matthew had breached the councillors' code of conduct back in 2011.
As a councillor, she had voted on a decision to offer Helston and District Twinning Association free use of the Guildhall – even though she was also a member of the twinning association.
Mrs Matthew apologised and resigned from the council during the controversy. She is now chairman of the South Kerrier Alliance and remains on the twinning association.
It was a time when the council was beset by infighting.
Moves were made to stop Councillor John Boase taking a second year in office as mayor and Wendy Radford-Gaby resigned as a councillor on the same day as Mrs Matthew.
Last week Mrs Matthew told the West Briton she was amazed it had taken Cornwall Council so long to conclude its investigation.
She said: "I resigned over this and as far as I am concerned, this is all water under the bridge."
Mrs Matthews said she was glad she quit the council at the time as it allowed her to be an active part of the team developing the Old Cattle Market with the South Kerrier Alliance. "It released me to do something which I think was far more important for the community," she said.
In October 2011, Helston Town Council voted on whether the twinning association should have to pay for the Guildhall.
The anomaly came about because the twinning committee had originally been part of the town council itself. It is now independent, although it was recently agreed that each mayor of Helston would be honorary president of the twinning association.
At the recent hearing in Penzance, Cornwall Council's standards committee heard that Mrs Matthew had breached the code of conduct for Helston Town Council.
It said she should have withdrawn from the room at the time and taken no part in the discussions or voting but that no further action needed to be taken as a result of the breach.
The report concluded: "Following incorrect advice, the panel accepted that Mrs Matthew had believed that she did not have a prejudicial interest and accordingly had not withdrawn from the meeting."
