A sitting Essex councilor has been banned from driving for 22 months after pleading guilty to driving under the influence in Brentwood. Councilor Andrew Wiles, 60, also pleaded guilty to driving without insurance after appearing in Basildon Magistrates Court on February 23.
Since his arrest on January 27, his membership in the Conservative Party has been temporarily suspended. Councilor Wiles, who represents the parish of Brentwood South for Brentwood Borough Council and the Brentwood South department for Essex County Council, has also been temporarily suspended in the Conservative groups of both councils while the outcome of a measure is decided.
Councilor Wiles was arrested at around 6pm on 27 January in Crown Street, Brentwood, following a collision with a single vehicle. He appeared at Basildon Magistrates on February 23, where he was fined £507 and banned from driving for 22 months. According to court documents, his breath analysis registered 86 mg in 100 ml of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath.
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A statement from Essex Police said: “A 60-year-old man who was arrested in Brentwood after a collision on Friday 27 January has since been charged. Andrew Terrance Wiles, 60, of Oaktree Close, Brentwood, has been charged with driving in excess of alcohol and driving without insurance. This happened after a collision with a single vehicle on Crown Street, Brentwood.”
Councilor Wiles has been a member of Essex County Council since 6 May 2021. He has also been a member of Brentwood Borough Council since the same date, when his 665 votes outstripped the Labor Party candidate by 10 votes. He is scheduled to be re-elected in 2024.
Councilor Wiles was described in the 2021 election material as a longtime resident of Brentwood South who works in retail in nearby Warley. Councilor Wiles currently sits on the Planning and Permissions Committee of Brentwood Borough Council. He was not present at a planning meeting on February 21.
A statement from the Brentwood and Ongar Conservative Association said: “Cllr Andrew Wiles has been temporarily suspended from his Conservative Party membership pending the completion of a court case over an alleged traffic offence. He is also temporarily suspended from the Conservative groups in both Brentwood Borough Council and Essex County Council.”
