CAERPHILLY council's chief executive and his deputy today appeared in court charged with misconduct in a public office.

Michael O'Sullivan, 55, chief executive of Caerphilly County Borough Council, and his deputy Nigel Barnett, 52, appeared alongside Daniel Perkins, 49, who worked in the council's legal department, at Bristol Crown Court.

The three men each face a single charge of misconduct in a public office between June 25 2012 and October 10 2012.

The charge alleges the defendants "wilfully misconducted themselves in relation to securing Caerphilly County Borough Council's approval of a remuneration package for the said council's chief officers from which they stood to gain for themselves".

They are accused of "deliberately failing to publish agenda and reports for a meeting of the said Council's Senior Remuneration Committee in advance of said meeting".

Charges state the men "deliberately introduced gratuitous material into one of the reports that was to be considered at said meeting so as to provide an apparent justification for exempting that report from public consideration".

They are also accused of "deliberately applying a public interest test notice to the reports that were to be considered at said meeting when none was merited, thereby exempting the reports from public consideration".

No pleas were entered during their appearance in front of Judge Michael Roach, who adjourned the case to a date to be fixed. O'Sullivan, of Merthyr Tydfil,  Barnett, of Aberbargoed,  and Perkins, of Ebbw Vale,  were released on unconditional bail.