Six are cleared of breaching rules

Five Shropshire councillors have avoided suspension after a tribunal cleared them of breaching their code of conduct.

A former councillor, who resigned in March, was also cleared. The Adjudication Panel for England yesterday decided Ludlow Town Council members Amanda Pope, Derek Davies, Jim Newbold, Marie Glaze, Tony Pound and former councillor Mickey Bradley had not disclosed confidential information.

It also concluded they had not brought the council into disrepute and had not failed to treat council employees with respect.

Their possible suspension was reported earlier this year, after a complaint that they had released confidential information to the press.

The tribunal heard all six had signed a statement condemning the "inappropriate management of public money by a member of staff at Ludlow Town Council". They had also called for a police investigation.

During the financial year 2007/8, it became apparent council money was missing.

Simon Bird, adjudication panel chairman, said: "Initial investigations by the town council clerk disclosed a town council employee had failed to pay in cheques and had in fact destroyed them."

In October 2008, the then town clerk, started an internal investigation.

But Councillors Bradley and Pound contacted the police independently with their concerns.

In November, the six signed the statement and delivered it to the town clerk.

Councillors Davies and Newbold said at the hearing the statement had been intended to move along the investigation and was not for public release.

In December, a sub-committee decided there had been serious misconduct by a council employee, but no criminal intent, and a decision was taken to drop the matter.

The panel decided the statement had been delivered privately and though strongly-worded it addressed legitimate concerns. It found there had been no breach of the councillors' code of conduct.

Councillor Pope welcomed the decision.

"It confirms what I believed," she said. "It should not have gone as far as it did."

Councillor Pound said: "As far as I am concerned it is public money, so we were acting in the public interest."

Mr Bradley said: "I was not afraid of anything, because I was not guilty of anything."

Councillor Glaze was unavailable for comment.