Minutes:
The Complainant related to actions of the Subject Member at a meeting of the Winsley Parish council on 7 February 2023.
Preamble
The Sub-Committee was satisfied the initial tests of the assessment criteria had been met, in that the Subject Member was and remains a member of Winsley Parish Council and that a copy of the relevant Code of Conduct was provided for the assessment.
The Sub-Committee therefore had to decide whether the alleged behaviour would, if proven, amount to a breach of the Code of Conduct. If the Sub-Committee concluded that the alleged behaviour would amount to a breach, then it would have to go on to decide whether it was appropriate under the assessment criteria to refer the matter for investigation.
In reaching its decision, the Sub-Committee took into account the original complaint and supporting information, the response of the Subject Member, the report of the Monitoring Officer and the comments of the Independent Person who was in attendance.
The Subject Member and the Complainant were not present at the meeting and no additional statements were provided.
Discussion
The complaint involved two parts, firstly the Complainant alleged that the Subject Member, at a public meeting, used the term ‘manpower’ instead of using a gender-neutral term and secondly that the Subject Member tutted and laughed when the Complainant was speaking.
The Complainant alleged that through these actions the Subject Member was rude, acted inappropriately and has brought the council in to disrepute.
The Complainant expected a formal written apology from the Subject Member as well as a written explanation regarding his actions relating to speed limits in the area, however it was noted that the speed limit issue related to decision-making and therefore fell outside of the Standards regime.
The Subject Member in his response stated that the word ‘manpower’ had been used for generations to refer to ‘the number of workers needed or available to do a specific job’ and it was within that context in which he used the term. The Subject Member provided further examples of the terms use and stated that neither Winsley Parish Council or Wiltshire Council had any policy requiring the use of ‘gender neutral’ language.
Regarding the meeting in question, the Subject Member stated that the Complainant’s tone towards volunteer members was an angry one, adding that in his view, volunteers that served their community should be treated with courtesy and that it was not the first time that the Complainant had been discourteous towards parish councillors, having in the past demanded by email, the resignation of councillors and officers.
Conclusion
The Sub-Committee agreed that during debate, at all levels of council and public meetings there was often a level of background response from attendees to indicate disagreement with the view being expressed. The Sub Committee agreed that whilst this could be interpreted differently by individuals, usually this type of this expression was not intended to be disrespectful.
The Sub-Committee noted that there was a high level of frustration felt by Complainant regarding ongoing issues relating to local speed limits as part of an Active Travel Plan, which may have led the Complainant to scrutinise the Subject Member. It was noted that decision making on highway matters did not fall under the remit of the Standards regime and therefore was not for the Sub Committee to take a view on.
The Sub-Committee agreed that if proven the alleged actions of the Subject Member would not represent a breach of the relevant Code of Conduct.
The Sub-Committee therefore, resolved to take no further action in respect of the complaint.
It was;
Resolved:
In accordance with the approved arrangements for resolving standards complaints adopted by Council on 9 July 2019, which came into effect on 1 January 2020 and after hearing from the Independent Person, the Assessment Sub-Committee determined to take no further action in respect of the complaint.