A COUNCILLOR has welcomed his party's decision to allow members to choose their list of candidates for the Welsh Assembly elections.

Kevin Mahoney, Vale councillor for the Sully ward, is standing for UKIP in the Vale of Glamorgan and has raised concerns about candidates from outside Wales being put forward.

But the party's national executive committee has decided that members should have the final say in selecting the lists of candidates to stand.

Cllr Mahoney has spoken out about the potential inclusion of candidates from outside Wales such as Neil Hamilton and Mark Reckless.

But he welcomed the fact that the membership would get a say in putting the list together.

He said: "It is good to know that due to my and other members actions, the process will be more of a democratic one.

"However, I still feel that there are contentious candidates who've appeared from nowhere. I think it shows that there was a flawed assessment process."

Cllr Mahoney is still concerned that there are no facilities to remove candidates from the list and thinks its right to back those who've already contributed to the party in Wales.

But he concluded by saying that he will wait to see what transpires when the selection process takes place.