Intimidation by councillors and a heartfelt thank you

Question

I have asked questions on here some time ago about my parish council bullying a family and making them pariahs in the community by publishing defamatory comments and making repeated complaints to district and county council.  I disguised the fact that it was my family and that I had to resign so that I was able to respond to the council's plan to block access to part of my property.  My partner has a degenerative condition that is made worse by stress and this whole situation led to him being hospitalised during the height of the pandemic, with life-changing results.  The parish council were told of his illness and the implications of their actions and still they continued.

I am indebted to Dave, Graeme and others who restored my faith in local government and gave me kind and considered advice.  I took the matter to the monitoring officer, who investigated some of my complaints and issued a slap on the wrist to one of the councillors but at least the parish council have stopped their open and obvious harassment.  That baton has been handed to the parochial church council, who, it would appear, can act with impunity.

There is a public footpath across my property and two of the councillors walked through today and stood on my drive (not on the footpath), staring at my house, talking and shaking their heads.  They have complained about our renovation work in the past, which has now ground to a halt as my partner is so unwell.  I feel intimidated by this behaviour and anxious that they are going to cause problems again.  No doubt this was the intention.

Is this something I should go back to the monitoring officer about?

Answer 1

Sorry, I haven't seen any of the previous threads. I don't think this in itself would constitute a breach of the Code of Conduct. But you are within your rights to go and ask them to vacate your land and move to the path.

Answer 2

I'm sorry to hear that you're still having problems. Is there an obvious separation between the public right of way and your driveway? Could you erect signs asking people to keep to the public right of way?

I understand that you feel intimidated by their presence because of what has happened previously, but looking at this event in isolation, my feeling is that their transgression is relatively minor. A parish council has very limited powers over individual members of the community, something which many find frustrating, but those restrictions exist to allow us all peaceful enjoyment of our homes.

On the specific question regarding the monitoring officer, you have no grounds for complaint. Furthermore, lodging a complaint with anybody will simply be poking the hornet's nest, making you a target for retaliation.

As Oscar Wilde said, "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much!"

Answer 3

The Local Government Association is currently asking Councillors to complete a 'call for evidence' survey to help build evidence on the scale of abuse and intimidation within the sector. Its lengthy and in depth but worthy of consideration to take part.
www.local.gov.uk