AN EVESHAM councillor could face investigation over his business dealings, it was revealed this week.

A formal complaint that Simon Widdus used his position on Evesham Town Council to influence customers to advertise through him has been referred by Wychavon District Council to its Standards Committe.

A three-man sub committee must now decide whether an investigation into his conduct should be ordered.

The centralised Standards Board for England, based in Manchester, had previously rejected a complaint by Mrs Alex Critchlow based on the same grounds. The complaint related to an allegation that he abused his position as a councillor.

But the move may come too late, if any formal action against Cllr Widdus is deemed necessary, as he is facing the prospect of being thrown off the town council if he fails to attend another meeting before the planning committee meets on July 28.

Town clerk Frank Green said that Cllr Widdus, who was elected to the council as a Conservative in last May's elections after a spell as a co-opted member, would cease to be a councillor from that date since he would have failed to attend a meeting in six months.

Under new regulations which came into effect in May, complaints about councillors now go directly to the district council standards committee rather than to the centralised Standards Board for England.

The three-man sub committee which will consider the complaint has four options: refer the complaint for investigation by the monitoring officer, refer for investigation by the Standards Board for England, refer for other action or decide to take no further action.

The monitoring officer is Ian Marshall, Wychavon District Council's head of legal and support services, who confirmed that a formal complaint had been received about Cllr Widdus.

The complainant, Reading businesswoman Alex Critchlow, had previously complained to the Standards Board, which rejected her argument.

In October last year, she said she paid £250 to Cllr Widdus, who was then trading as SJW Plasma Screens & Cameras from Suite 284, 79 Friar Street, Worcester.

She said: "He introduced himself as a councillor when we first met. I paid the money and he agreed to run an advertisement for my business on a large-screen television which was to be installed in a local shop window. According to the paperwork that was to start on November 5. "

But Mrs Critchlow said the advert, was never run and she never got her money back. She also claimed Cllr Widdus used his position as a councillor to influence her to make the advertising deal.

When he was approached by the Journal, Cllr Widdus declined to comment on the allegations adding: "I don't want to talk to you"..