TORFAEN'S deputy mayor was found in breach of the council's code of conduct for members at a hearing yesterday.

Fairwater councillor Philip Seabourne was censured at a standards committee after he was found to have failed to declare personal and prejudicial interests when making donations to local groups as part of the small schemes allowance.

The standards committee found Cllr Seabourne failed to declare a personal and prejudicial interest when donating £500 to Fairwater High School in September 2009 for the school's production of Fame.

When making the donation Cllr Seabourne failed to declare he was a governor at the school, his wife Rosemary Seabourne was the chair of governors, and the couple's grandson attended the school.

Speaking on behalf of the Ombudsman, Debbie Allan said: "On January 13 2009 Mrs Seabourne made a complaint to the Ombudsman that two other councillors had failed to declare interest, but Cllr Seabourne made payments eight months after this complaint and still failed to declare an interest."

The committee found there was no declarable interest in relation to pre-2008 donations of £500 made to the same school because the council was then operating under an older code of conduct.

The committee also found Cllr Seabourne failed to declare a prejudicial interest when donating £200 in November 2008 to the Torfaen Access Coalition because he was chairman of the coalition.

The Ombudsman also investigated allegations that Cllr Seabourne was associated with Torfaen Swim Squad and Gwent Dolphins Swimming Squad when he made a donation of £400 to each squad in 2009.

The Ombudsman found that Cllr Seabourne had been head coach of the Torfaen Swim Squad until 2005 but the committee concluded there was no declarable interest to be made.

Cllr Seabourne was found to have failed to maintain an accurate record of interests on the council's register of member's interests but because these interests were published on his website the committee concluded they were not concealed and didn't bring the office into disrepute.

The committee took into account Cllr Seabourne's health issues and that he had made a full and unreserved apology.

To be censured means that the authority has accepted that there was wrong doing, but no further action will be taken.

Cllr Seabourne declined to comment.