Two Bingham town councillors suspended from Conservative Party after found to have harassed their town clerk

Two councillors have been suspended from the Conservative Party after they were found to have harassed their town clerk.

Former mayor John Stockwood and current deputy mayor Francis Purdue-Horan breached several aspects of Bingham Town Council’s code of conduct by creating an oppressive work environment for the town clerk with the objective of removing her from office, and plainly led and instigated oppressive behaviour, an independent investigation concluded.

Stuart Wallace, chairman of Newark Conservative Association, said: “At a meeting of the Newark Conservative Association management team held on Monday, August 2, it was determined the membership of the Conservative Party was being suspended pending formal expulsion proceedings of councillors Francis Purdue-Horan and and John Stockwood.

“Any member suspended from the party may not participate in Conservative Party activities, including attendance of meeting or social events.

“In due course, formal expulsion proceedings will be held.”

Former town councillor Tony Fox had called for both men’s resignations having, in his words, made clerk Sharon Pyke’s life a misery.

The suspension follows the publication of a report by barrister Timothy Leader who was asked to carry out an independent investigation by Rushcliffe Borough Council’s monitoring officer.

The allegations, submitted by a town council employee and two town councillors, stated Mr Stockwood and Mr Purdue-Horan bullied a member of staff with the object of removing her from office; conducted themselves in a manner or behaved in such a way so as to give a reasonable person the impression they have brought their office or council in to disrepute; and that they were not open and accountable for their decisions.

Having reviewed Mr Leader’s findings, the borough council standards committee found:

Mr Stockwood and Mr Purdue-Horan breached the town council’s member code of conduct by failing to promote and maintain high standards of conduct in that each has harassed and repeatedly behaved unfairly and oppressively towards the clerk, with the object of removing her from office and did so in a way which was inconsistent with the principles of open, accountable behaviour and of providing good leadership;

Given the nature of the conduct, the committee determined their actions were, and are, in conflict with the promotion and support of high standards of conduct expected from their office. In particular, the committee found they failed to adhere to the general principles of public life that underpin the code of conduct insofar as they relate to objectivity, accountability, openness and leadership;

They plainly led and instigated the oppressive behaviour.

It added the intention of the pair was to deal with what they perceived to be poor performance from the clerk.

The members sought professional advice, however, that advice was revised and led to decisions being overturned on three occasions.

The report continued: “Whilst the subject members were advised by professional HR advisors, in not seeking and confirming this advice in writing they failed to hold themselves accountable for their decisions and frustrated any proper scrutiny of those decisions.

“The panel is satisfied that professional advice was, however, properly sought by the subject members.

“The (oppressive) environment was created by successive attempts by the members to remove the clerk not via an appropriate performance management mechanism but by measures that would result in her employment ending without the use of such mechanisms.”

The committee said incidents could not be considered as happening in isolation and that there was a pattern of behaviour with cumulative impact.

Rushcliffe Borough Council has recommended both members apologise to the clerk in writing and reflect on the appropriateness of their membership of the town HR committee; with the council invited to arrange HR performance management for all councillors.

Both members denied any misconduct throughout the investigation.

Mr Stockwood, who is also a borough councillor, and Mr Purdue-Horan, also a borough and county councillor, have not replied to requests for comment.

Current mayor Andrew Shelton was asked if bullying and harassment had a place on the council, but he refused to comment.

A borough council spokesman said: “Following a standards committee hearing, a decision notice has been published on the council’s website and there is no further comment on the matter.”

Mr Fox, also the lead organiser of the Bingham Deserves Better petition — which calls on Rushcliffe Borough Council to undertake a Community Governance Review of the town council — said the matter was just one part of the problem at the town council.

“I hope the borough council decides to formally investigate other issues mentioned in the petition,” he said.