By Diane Thomas
Compulsory conduct training is to be recommended for all Sefton Councillors after complaints were lodged about the behaviour of several of them at a meeting of the Southport Area Committee.
A reviewed Code of Conduct is also advised following the treatment meted out to two young mums from the Kew Playground Campaign. The women attended the Area Committee meeting last September to request that Kew’s Liberal Democrat councillors release ward funds to help them save the park. Instead, the pair left empty-handed and feeling “bullied, intimidated and humiliated” after being shouted at and berated by several members of the political group.
The complaints largely centred around the behaviour of Councillors Richard Hands and Fred Weavers after members of the public had to intervene from the gallery of the meeting to stop the women being harangued and shouted at. Cllr Tony Dawson, who is currently suspended from the Liberal-Democrats for an unconnected matter, was also involved in a subsequent incident and complaint. Cllr Dawson denied online that his behaviour was intimidating and it’s believed that none of the councillors accepted bullying had taken place.
Now, the Chair of Sefton’s Initial Assessment Sub-Committee for Audit and Governance, Cllr Robert Brennan, has written to the complainants expressing it was “saddened” to learn how the women were made to feel at the meeting.
Cllr Brennan explained that:
“The Monitoring Officer has had various meetings and discussions with Councillors Hands and Weavers regarding their behaviour on the night in question. The outcome of these discussions has been fed back to the Sub-Committee (where) it was resolved to review the Members Code of Conduct.
“This review will be submitted to the Audit and Governance Committee to consider. It will include the proposal of mandatory training on the Members’ Code of Conduct for all Members of the Council.”
“The Sub-Committee hopes that this will ensure that all Members are fully aware of their obligations under the Code of Conduct.”
He also wrote that it was “disappointed” to hear the details of a further complaint which came shortly after the meeting, with the campaigners reporting that Cllr Tony Dawson had continued to attack them online and that it involved his reposting an image of the six-year-old son of one of the women while trying to claim their campaign was politically motivated. Cllr Dawson was also spoken to about his conduct and it formed part of the recommendation decision. As a result, Chair Robert Brennan revealed that:
“The Sub-Committee also resolved to provide training for all Members on appropriate social media use.”
Diane Thomas, one of two young mums who suffered the verbal and online attacks said:
“I’m very pleased that it’s been recognised that what we were put through was totally unacceptable, we were left feeling bullied, intimidated and humiliated just for asking them to help the kids of Kew. Southport residents deserve far better from their local representatives.”
“I’m glad they will be better trained but feel sorry that all of Sefton’s councillors have to go through it because of the extremely poor behaviour of a few local Lib-Dem councillors and their friend Cllr Dawson. His online attack and reposting of a picture of me and my son to make a false political accusation was unforgivable, as was the appalling attitude of Cllrs Weavers and Hands. I hope they are more attentive during the training than they were to our appeals for help for the park.”
Nat Glennon, the other mum from the campaign involved, was also pleased Sefton had dealt with the matter:
“I know these same councillors are complaining about the Area Committee being replaced but good riddance as far as I’m concerned, I wouldn’t go back there after experiencing that but am glad they will be retrained. This lot have spent far too long trying to undermine our campaign instead of helping the kids of Kew – six months on and we are still waiting for a single penny from our Kew ward councillors when they have around £40,000 stashed away.”
“Their behaviour has been little short of disgraceful, hopefully, Sefton will not only teach them how to be good while councillors but how to be good councillors, they certainly need it!”
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