Southampton councillor’s ‘buffoon’ comment cost taxpayers £19,000, Telford & Wrekin Council committee hears
A councillor who referred to a council chief executive as a ‘buffoon’ settled the matter with an apology after an investigation costing taxpayers £19,000, a committee heard.
The incident did not happen in Telford but a Telford & Wrekin Council committee that oversees the conduct of councillors at borough and town and parish level was told the circumstances of that and another recent case.
The council's governance committee was given an update on standards rulings when they gathered at Southwater One on Tuesday (July 15).
Richard Phillips, the council’s service delivery manager for registrars, public protection, legal and democracy told members of the case of Southampton City councillor Rob Harwood who referred to the council’s chief executive as a “buffoon”.
An external investigation cost Southampton City Council nearly £19,000, the meeting heard.
That council in Southampton found that the term was determined to subject the complainant to ridicule and would give a reasonable member of the public reading the comment the impression that the council was being led by someone incapable of fulfilling their duties in a competent way.
Local press reported that the matter was resolved after Councillor Harwood wrote to the chief executive, without being prompted to do so, to offer an apology and confirm he had retracted the post immediately after receiving the final report.
Mr Phillips also told the committee of the case of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk planning committee councillor Terry Parish who wrote an email to his deputy while in hospital recovering from a crash.
The email, councillors were told, encouraged his colleague not to defer an application but to "refuse it".
The councillor was stripped of his position on the planning committee after being found to be in breach of the Nolan principles of conduct in public life. They set rules of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.
He was also found to be in breach of codes covering the conduct of councillors on planning committees, in particular that members must be present during discussions of planning applications and make decisions in line with codes of conduct.
Mr Phillips’s verbal report was noted without further comment by members of the committee.
