Issue - meetings

To consider the report.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer confirmed that the decision taken by the sub-committee at the beginning of the meeting to hold the meeting in public, applied to both code of conduct complaints.

The Chair invited the Investigating Officer to present the complaint.

M Dolley, Investigating Officer presented her report in respect of complaints made against Shaftesbury Town Council Councillor Yeo (the Subject Member) by Shaftesbury Town Council Councillor Hollingshead (the Complainant).

The Investigating Officer provided detail of the complaints received which alleged a breach of paragraphs 1 (requirement to treat councillors and others with respect) and paragraph 5 (Disrepute) of the Shaftesbury Town Council Councillor Code of Conduct. The complaints had been investigated in accordance with Dorset Council’s arrangements for dealing with Code of Conduct complaints.

To investigate the complaints, the Investigating Officer had taken into consideration the following evidence:

·       The complaints

·       Shaftesbury Town Council Code of Conduct

·       Video recording of Shaftesbury Town Council meeting of 18 March 2025

·       Facebook page maintained by the This is Alfred radio station and the broadcast by This is Alfred of its daily programme on 19 March 2025

·       Emails sent to the Subject Member by the Town Clerk at the time

·       Interviews with the Complainant and one other member of Shaftesbury Town Council and the Subject Member (statements included within the investigation report)

The complaints were set out in full in the report and the Investigating Officer took the sub-committee through the main points arising.

The complaints related to the conduct of the Subject Member at the Shaftesbury Town Council Full Council meeting on 18 March 2025 and the discussion of agenda item 7 relating to the recruitment of a new town clerk.

The findings section of the report described the relevant part of the meeting, the reporting of the meeting by This is Alfred in its daily broadcast and on its Facebook page, and the email correspondence sent by the town clerk to the Subject Member, which set out the provisions of paragraph 1 of the code and the general principles of councillor conduct stated in the introduction section of the code. Correspondence from the town clerk had urged the Subject Member to undertake code of conduct training.

The Investigating Officer provided an overview of the conclusions set out in the report, which included her comments on the comments made by the Subject Member, both in response to the draft report and on the statement submitted by him in advance of this meeting. The Investigating Officer had concluded that the Subject Member was in breach of paragraph 1 and paragraph 5 of the code of conduct and set out her reasoning for this conclusion, including her consideration of the application of Article 10 ECHR. In addition, the Investigating Officer noted that the matter relating to the Subject Member’s failure to undertake training on the code of conduct had not been included in the original complaint but had been added to the investigation in accordance with paragraph G of the Dorset Council arrangements for dealing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6