Councillor facing ethics probe over planning corruption tweet

[dutchman]

An ethics committee will decide if there has been a breach in the code of conduct



A Coventry councillor is to be hauled in front of an ethics committee accused of suggesting the council’s planning department is corrupt.

Cllr Glenn Williams, an Independent councillor, is further accused of encouraging a suggestion that a member of staff should have “his head kicked in”.

An independent investigator has ruled the Bablake councillor breached three paragraphs of the code of conduct and that he should apologise to the council’s head of planning – who was indirectly referred to in the tweets – and the council’s deputy chief executive who raised the complaints.

However, Cllr Williams has denied the accusations and alleged the two complainants are seeking to “bully and discriminate against him”, telling investigators “he would rather parachute out of the windows on the 7th floor of the council’s offices than apologise”.

The initial complaint arose after Cllr Williams posted comments on Twitter in January relating to the council’s planning website not working, which left some residents being unable to comment on a controversial application on green belt land.

In his tweet, Cllr Williams said the planning portal has been down for over 12 hours, writing: “Is this an attempt to stop people from objecting?”, adding that he would be asking for an extension to the consultation deadline.

A ‘spoof’ Twitter account which parodies the city council replied to “tell head of planning to do it or you’ll kick his head in”, adding “bullying seems to be the preferred approach in CC these days!”

Cllr Williams responded saying: “An interesting approach, but she’s a lady and I would never condone any sort of violence towards women.”

The tweets led to complaints from head of planning Tracy Miller and the council’s deputy chief executive for place Martin Yardley. The two are in a relationship.

Mr Yardley raised a formal complaint that Cllr Williams had breached the code of conduct, stating he was “extremely concerned” by the comments, further claiming that Cllr Williams had also implied he would condone violence against male staff at the council, and that the tweets posed a “threat” which should have been reported.

However, Cllr Williams told independent investigator David Kitson the complaint was “hot-headed”, that he was not accusing the planning department of corruption or acting inappropriately, and that he replied to posts about assaulting staff in a “satirical context” as he believed it was making reference to a news article about bullying at the council.

Cllr Williams has also accused Mr Yardley and Ms Miller of seeking to “bully and discriminate against him”, that they would not have spoken to any other councillor the same way, and that the complaint had been raised by Mr Yardley due to their relationship.

Mr Kitson has concluded Cllr Williams breached three paragraphs of the code as his tweets had the “potential to undermine the planning department and cause distress to officers”.

His verdict added: “Although the subsequent discussion that took place between the councillor and the spoof account was most likely tongue in cheek, it was nonetheless inappropriate in the circumstances, particularly so on account of the contentious nature of the planning application in question, as well as the wider issues with the increasing intimidation of those in public life.”

The investigator has ruled it would be “fair and appropriate” for Cllr Williams to undergo further social media training, to acknowledge his actions were “inappropriate”, and apologise to Ms Miller and the planning department.

An ethics committee on November 20 will determine if Cllr Williams has breached the code.

[dutchman]

Councillor's ‘corruption’ Tweet breached code rules ethics committee

A Coventry councillor is to be given a formal censure after Tweets about the council’s planning website were deemed to have breached the code of conduct.

An ethics committee unanimously reached its verdict on November 20 in relation to posts made on Twitter by Independent Cllr Glenn Williams in January.

All allegations were denied by Cllr Williams who said he was not suggesting corruption nor encouraging violence – which he does not condone – and that suggestions the Tweet posed a threat were “ridiculous” as he knows the Twitter user posted in a “jokey” manner following media coverage of alleged bullying at the authority.

He said he had Tweeted to inform residents of the consultation deadline and to “kick-start” the council into getting the planning portal fixed.

He added: “I believe because I’m the only Independent I am an easy target, they have got together, and said we are going to bully this councillor into silence.

“I’m not going to have that and will stand up to bullying.”

However, David Kitson, an independent investigator paid for by the authority, said the Tweets were “not acceptable” and showed a “lack of respect” and “lack of awareness of the potential impact of ill-thought out comments”.

While the committee agreed he had breached three paragraphs of the code of conduct, Cllr Williams branded the complaints “counter-productive” after failings of the council's planning portal emerged.

Council figures read at the meeting found the planning portal had been down 477 times during a three-month period between July and October this year alone – a number branded a “significant problem” by Mr Kitson, with Mr Yardley admitting it was “extremely poor”.

Writing on Twitter, Conservative cllr Tim Mayer also criticised the hearing, brranding it “a complete farce” and “a huge waste of council resources”.

[dutchman]

an independent investigator paid for by the authority

Says it all really!

[rebbonk]

They don't like it up them, do they?