John Paul Jenkins (born 1981) is a local politician in Wales, in the United Kingdom. He was a county councillor for the Elli ward of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, and a town councillor for the same ward on Llanelli Town Council. He stood for election as a candidate of the Conservative Party for both authorities.
Background
Jenkins was educated at Graig Comprehensive School, Llanelli, before studying social policy at the University of Wales, Swansea.
Political career
Jenkins was elected at the local elections on 10 June 2004. As of 2006, he was the youngest elected representative in Carmarthenshire.
Before becoming a councillor, Jenkins was chosen by the Conservative Party in 2002 to be its candidate for the Llanelli constituency at the 2003 election to the National Assembly for Wales. However, in March 2003, just two months before polling day, Jenkins was reported to have made homophobic remarks on an internet forum. The story was first reported in the Western Mail and subsequently on the BBC Wales news.
Jenkins subsequently announced that following his resignation as a candidate he was also quitting the Conservative Party because of what he saw as the Conservative Party's unfair treatment towards him.
At the 2008 county council election Jenkins was re-elected by the Elli ward, but standing as an Independent.
In August 2012 Jenkins got into trouble again for his comments on social media when he suggested on Twitter to an unemployed woman that she get work as an escort, then describing a well-known footballer as a "pervert". A complaint was made to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.