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0 votes
One of our councillors has no regard for established committees or work groups and interferes in what they’re doing on the side.  He will not engage with the relevant councillors and instead walks about the village engaging on a range of topics, coming up with ideas and then, without finding out whether or not a committee or person is dealing with the same thing, forcefully makes recommendations, demands his ideas be placed on the agenda using forceful and aggressive language.  He doesn’t swear.
He uses his social media account to insult residents (without his councillor hat on) and takes delight in belittling  people
He is disparaging and insulting about the committees and work groups, and points fingers at councillors’ lack of input although he has no real knowledge of what they’re actually doing.  I have this in writing - quite a vitriolic barrage of messages in fact.  Again, no swearing

He has now successfully alienated himself from almost all of the councillors.

Where to next?  What can be done given he attends meetings?

The only thing I can think of is to advise the councillors not to engage with him at all unless he is polite, and to ask him to refer his agenda requests through appropriate work groups or committees where these request relate to such a committee or work group, or they will not be placed on the agenda.

I thought dealing with residents would be difficult.  If only!
by (940 points)

2 Answers

+1 vote
There is no obvious solution here.  Whilst the individual may well have breached or been close to breaching the code of conduct, the sanctions available via the Principal Authority Monitoring Officer will not permit his removal from Public Office or from attending council meetings.  The only thing I can suggest would be to start recording videos of the meetings and posting them online on the PC website  so that his conduct might be available to view in the public domain. He might possibly think twice about some of his antics.  Alternatively, if enough electors in his ward see it, they might think twice about re electing him.
by (35.7k points)
We’re all brand new and only just voted in this year.  We’re going to have to just find a way to get him to understand that his input is important but channeling it within the agreed structures and without sarcasm and anger will have a better chance of seeing his own ideas and input come to fruition.
surely if they are disrupting a meeting by being threatening or abusive you can have them removed
0 votes
Of course there is always another viewpoint on any matter. Is the councillors conduct your personal viewpoint based on third hand " gossip"  or on personal verifiable, factual experience. Could it be ,as stated here many times, the sign of a frustrated councillor who is experiencing being blocked and frustrated in their attempts to "right" some perceived "wrongs" in council methods or procedures?

Depending on where one stands one mans freedom fighter is another's terrorist.

I was taught at an early stage in my mentoring career before you seek out solutions to "problems" ask the question " is there actually a problem?"  if so identify, define and target it. The councillor in question might not be the problem and their only "crime " might be trying to knock down the door rather than look for the key.

Just a thought
by (28.3k points)
That is always a possibilty. Sadly some cllrs form their own cliques and inner circles with the Clerk and if anybody new challenges them, they get labelled as a disrupter etc.
How as stated many times a seemingly recurring theme of cliques and inner circles surrounds the Clerk evolves, which empowers Cllrs to believe that they alone are right.
We’re all brand new having only just been voted in this year.  We’ve had to wrestle with a rogue clerk who left with no notice, reports to the police and then muddling our way through keeping the ship afloat with no experience.  We’re all in this together and every hand on deck needed.  He just seems to have pulled out a big old beating stick to sack us all whilst we’re doing what we can, positioning himself as the saviour of the village who will club the rest of us into action.   Ironically he’s been at odds with many residents on social media with awfully rude comments. We’ll just have to find a way to manage his behaviour if possible

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