POLICE will take no further action over leaflets delivered by an MP to Monmouthshire households on proposed gypsy and traveller sites.

David Davies welcomed the decision, saying he “makes no apologies” for the contents of the flyer he published.

The Monmouth MP and Welsh Secretary said he was not afraid “to lead from the front” or “shy away” from legitimate matters of public debate.

Leaflets distributed at the end of July raised his concerns about the inadequacy of a Monmouthshire County Council consultation on potential sites in the region for use by the traveller community.

They were branded “racist” and “discriminatory” by advocacy group Travelling Ahead, which is run by charity TGP Cymru and funded to the tune of more than £5m by the Labour-run Welsh Government.

But Gwent Police has confirmed no further action will be taken after consulting the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and traveller community.

In a statement, Chief Superintendent Carl Williams said: “We launched a review into the contents of a leaflet published and distributed in Monmouthshire regarding proposals for a development of a gypsy and traveller site.

“Officers have spoken to several people from the gypsy and traveller and settled communities before seeking advice from the CPS on whether the leaflet’s contents constituted any offences.

“Any allegation of discrimination is taken extremely seriously and following this review, we will not be taking any further action.”

Charity Commission data shows that over the last five years, TGP Cymru has received £5.6m in grants and won £4.6m worth of Welsh Government contracts.

Mr Davies said he hoped First Minister Mark Drakeford’s administration in Cardiff Bay would distance itself from a charity which appeared to be pursuing “political action”.

“The charity which complained has received millions of pounds from the Welsh Labour Government and can hardly be described as impartial.

“It does give cause for suspicion that this organisation, which has ventured into the political sphere before by posting on its Twitter account in support of a protest outside the Conservative Party Conference in 2021, has political motives.

“What a great shame that police time has been spent on this matter, but I was not and will not be put off from raising legitimate matters of public debate and scrutiny.

“Criticising a lack of wide public consultation by a Labour council to an important issue and seeking views from my constituents is not a crime. I am pleased Gwent Police agree and I make no apologies for raising this.”

Plans for possible gypsy traveller sites at Mitchel Troy Common and Manson Heights in Monmouth have since been dropped by Monmouthshire County Council, following public meetings of concerned residents and feedback from the local authority’s own scrutiny committee.

However, Langley Close near to the M4 in Magor and land west of Dancing Hill in Undy remain under consideration.

“These sites are wholly unsuitable and I will certainly stand with Severnside residents in this corner of Monmouthshire, who are aghast at the prospect of much-loved areas being snatched away in such fashion,” said Mr Davies.

“Sometimes it is not easy to raise difficult issues, especially when you know that publicly funded organisations are likely to report you to the police.

“But constituents deserve to have an elected representative who is not afraid to lead from the front or shy away when the going gets tough.”