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South Kesteven District Councillor Tim Harrison admits reconsidering his position as complaints against him cost £27,000 to investigate




A councillor has criticised the rising cost of complaints against him as totals near £27,000, and solicitors costs for all complaints reach £47,550.

South Kesteven district councillor and Grantham Town Council chairman Tim Harrison (Ind) has criticised the process for draining his time and taxpayer funds.

In a Facebook post, he said SKDC officers revealed that up to November 1, 2024, costs had reached £26,972.50. A separate FOI by Councillor Ben Green (Con) has also now revealed that the cost of sending 15 complaints in 2024 to solicitors Wilkin Chapman LLP to investigate has also cost £47,550.

Councillor Tim Harrison.
Councillor Tim Harrison.

The complaints reportedly focus on social media posts, with accusations of disrespect, miscommunication, and comments about other councillors causing friction.

Coun Harrison noted incidents like harassment and false claims about his behaviour.

He said allegations that he had made death threats had actually come from posts made by members of the public, not him, one of which led to a police investigation.

He noted how these complaints, while largely rejected or not resulting in serious sanctions, have nonetheless cost significant public resources.

In addition, he alleged that he had also faced harassment from other members of the public and police actions.

“Add to this having a dead rodent posted through my door and a fellow councillor having the skull of a deer put on their car, and you can start to see why I am reconsidering being a councillor,” he said in the post.

Councillor Ben Green (Con).
Councillor Ben Green (Con).

“People maybe don’t understand the amount of work we do, but it’s immense. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t just sit there drinking tea and eating biscuits.

“But sometimes banging your head against a brick wall every day starts to get annoying.”

He is not the only one speaking out against the complaints process.

SKDC Standards Committee on Wednesday, September 12. Photo: Daniel Jaines
SKDC Standards Committee on Wednesday, September 12. Photo: Daniel Jaines

Councillor Ben Green (Con) believes investigating councillor complaints, some handled by a solicitor for independent analysis, may cost thousands more. His FOI reveals the 15 investigations have been summed up into seven cases, but only up to November 14, 2024,

Hours after Coun Harrison’s post, Coun Green shared a Facebook video expressing similar frustrations, particularly about an investigation into his criticism of council leadership.

Coun Green accused council leader Ashley Baxter of political persecution, claiming the code of conduct is being over-applied to stifle free speech.

It is understood that his complaints revolve around comments about the Mallard Pass Solar Farm application.

“We're in a situation where just because I exercised my freedom of speech and because I have held our council's leadership to account, I am being politically persecuted and my freedom of speech is being curtailed and muzzled,” he said in the video.

He and Coun Harrison also raised concerns about committees held behind closed doors, preventing public scrutiny.

This is something a committee can decide on the day, not necessarily in advance.

In response to Coun Harrison’s claims, South Kesteven District Council clarified that the cost of investigating the 16 complaints against him was indeed £26,972.50.

The council stated that the investigations were still ongoing and would remain confidential until hearings are scheduled.

“The council must consider the position of complainants, as well as those who have been complained about,” they said.

“South Kesteven District Council has a code of conduct for councillors, and it is important that it is adhered to.”

The council said the complaints procedure followed protocol and Local Government Association guidance.

It stressed that councillors must adhere to the code of conduct, with sanctions determined only after due investigation.

“The monitoring officer, or any other party they appoint to undertake a formal investigation, will gather evidence and submit a report of their findings.

The council explained that the monitoring officer would decide if a hearing was needed, and if so, the panel or Standards Committee would determine any breach and sanctions.

“Sanctions are set out in the council’s procedure for dealing with complaints against councillors, which also reflect those set out in the Local Government Association guidance,” they said.

In September, councillors were urged to “stop acting like children” amid a sharp rise in serious complaints, including allegations of death threats and police intervention.

The complaints prompted calls for improved behaviour and social media training for councillors, with 63 complaints filed in the previous year.

Of these, six were found to breach the code of conduct, 15 required further investigation, and 42 were dismissed.

The Standards Committee reported that 32 of the complaints stemmed from social media activity, often among councillors themselves.

In just one weekend in March, 22 complaints were lodged by four councillors and a member of the public, reflecting the heightened tensions.

Independent persons noted that, while some social media posts fell outside the code of conduct, the rise in complaints reflects a national trend of increased scrutiny on public officials’ online conduct.

It is understood that, of the complaints that went ahead, some have also been merged into fewer investigations.

Responding to Coun Green’s comments on Tuesday, Coun Baxter (Ind) expressed regret over the volume of complaints, especially those involving social media posts.

Councillor Ashley Baxter (Ind)
Councillor Ashley Baxter (Ind)

He confirmed that while many complaints were dismissed as frivolous, some involving social media were harder to resolve.

Coun Baxter also said that he had previously suggested a “post amnesty” to remove potentially offensive posts in order to resolve matters without formal investigations.

“This could have resulted in the formal complaints being withdrawn and could have saved the cost of formal investigations,” he said.

“This proposed ‘amnesty’ was rejected by the leader of the opposition at the time, so the monitoring officer had no choice but to follow proper process and instigate a formal investigation.

“This morning, I repeated my request for councillors to remove the offensive posts, but again, it seems the leader of the opposition is not interested in de-escalating or reconciliation.”

Despite resolution efforts, Coun Baxter stressed that councillors must uphold code of conduct standards and that misconduct allegations require scrutiny under council procedures.

Please note: The print version of this story published today (Friday, November 15), said costs were nearly £27,000, however the result of Coun Ben Green’s Freedom of Information request were published after the paper’s deadline. The online version has been updated to reflect the new information.



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