Issue - meetings

Council gave consideration to a report which presented the findings of an investigation into an alleged breach of the Members’ Code of Conduct by Councillor Roger Patterson, Ward Member for Scampton.

The Monitoring Officer presented the report and outlined the process undertaken and the findings which had been reached.

Council were asked to support the recommendations contained within the Investigating Officer’s Report regarding the sanctions to be applied.

Councillor Patterson addressed Council and indicated that before Members debated the matter he wished to apologise for behaviour, moreover he wanted to apologise because he wanted to as opposed to being directed to do so.

Councillor Patterson made the following address to Council by way of formal public apology: --

“Chairman, before you open up the debate, obviously in the report, the public will be aware that one of the sanctions is I have to make a public apology.  However, I don’t want to be making a public apology because I have been told to make a public apology; I would have made this apology at the last Council, had it had sat before the report had actually come out, and people might be aware that I have actually publicly apologised, what I am about to say, various times in the media.

As people will be aware, a couple of months ago I made some stupid comments on social media that caused great offence and embarrassment.   I’m a believer in holding your hands up when you are wrong and to take any punishment that comes your way; and because of that, I cannot justify what I said, and I am not even going to try to justify it.   All I can say is I didn’t incite any violence against anyone, or call for anything of the sort.    However, I can see that some people may have thought I did.   I used stupid words designed to annoy and hit back at people whose comments I found offensive myself that were off the cuff.   In doing so, I offended other people and caused great embarrassment to the Council, the Conservative Group, the Conservative Party, Officers and staff of this Council and members of the public.

I wish to make this apology unreservedly and sincerely because I want to make the apology and not because I have been told to make the apology, and I am deeply sorry for any offence and embarrassment I caused anybody for my stupid actions.”

Debate ensued and in response to a question, the Leader of the Council clarified that the proposed removal, of Councillor Patterson, from the Standards Committee was a decision taken by the Independent Person and the Monitoring Officer.  This was a recommendation he supported but was not a “sanction” being imposed by the Group. 

Councillor Patterson’s apology was accepted by Members, with Members acknowledging, that under the current regime, Councillor Patterson had received the toughest penalties imposable.

Members took the opportunity to express their concern at the revised Standards regime, since the introduction  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41