Thanks Dave & Progress for your thoughts....
I put a lot of time, effort, detail and resource into a pair of complex complaints which had the very strong potential, due to video and documentary evidence, to be upheld - even in the face of some of the patently ludicrous decisions that have come out of that office. I may share the detail later....
I feel a little 'cheated' that the subject has resigned as the chair of the PC and as a Cllr and has avoided the even greater ignominy of a portfolio of upheld complaints - the previous one (from a different person who was then a serving Cllr) was Feb 23.
On reflection, he's resigned. If the complaint had been upheld he might have had a a public rebuke but - so what?
If he seeks to return to Cllr duty (anywhere) within 6 months, the complaints may be re-initiated. The relevance of 6 months is that a complaint can only be levied for behaviour within the past 6 months (I've got a separate story about that which will follow)
So, significant complaint x2 submitted, pretty much guaranteed to be upheld and deeply critical but subject resigns in advance of conclusion from MO. Tick success.
Had he not resigned he would have suffered the personal reputational damage but would have continued as chair PC and as a Cllr and would have continued to cause grave PC reputational damage.
The 6 month rule - a while back I submitted a complaint on a completely separate subject and a different subject Cllr (yeah, I know - serial complainer, it has been said before!) There were 3 or 4 separate elements / examples of poor behaviour detailed in the complaint the oldest of which was about 5 ½ months previous but the others were more recent. They were all packaged up together to provide evidence of a pattern of behaviour which was deteriorating.
The MO pretty much immediately dismissed the oldest example quoting the 6 month rule. I responded with a calendar and pointed out that 5 ½ was not 6 months. He actually replied by saying something like - because you know so much about the complaints process I am not going to allow your 5 ½ month example which is too close to 6 months.
So I lodged a complaint against the MO.
Within 48hrs he responded and affirmed that he WOULD include the 5 ½ month old example since it was NOT disqualified under the 6 month rule... I think I said - It's not a difference of opinion, its just counting.
No Christmas card again....