Agenda item

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 of the Localism Act in 2011, its lack of sanctions as a result and therefore its lack of ability to “act as a deterrent”.   Senior Leaders and Officers were urged to lobby Government regarding the need for change. 

Several Members concurred and the Leader of the Council undertook to raise the matter where opportune.  

RESOLVED that: the content of the investigation be noted and the recommendations made within the Investigating Officer’s report, regarding the sanctions to be applied, namely: -

• That Councillor Patterson issues a formal public apology. This should take the form of a statement at the next meeting of Full Council that Councillor Patterson attends

• That Councillor Patterson undertakes Social Media Training within four months of the issue of the decision

• That Councillor Patterson stands down as a member of WLDC’s Standards Sub-Committee for the remainder of his current term of office

• That the sanctions imposed are made publically available on the Council’s website for a period of three months from the date of the issue of the decision 

 be supported.