Our clerk has resigned following 8 months of bullying by two councillors, how can we censure the two councillors.

Question

Two councillors and to some extent a third,recently co-opted councillor, have caused our clerk to resign through nitpicking, passive aggressive emails and personal attacks at meetings. This has gone on for many months, the chairman has tried to resolve informally to no avail. How can the councillors be brought to task?

Answer 1

Following the Ledbury case, the only route is via the Monitoring Officer but frankly they are usually useless.   As an employer, the council has a duty of care to employees and steps should have been taken to formally investigate any complaint against the clerk by any councillor or group of councillors and/or any grievances raised by the clerk about the conduct of any councillor.  NALC have a publication "Good Councillor Guide to Employment" or you can get some excellent advice from the ACAS website but be aware that actions against councillors as elected representatives, are very limited.

Answer 2

Of course in such a case it all depends on which hill your view from what is going on in the valley below. One persons definition of bullying is anothers constructtive criticism.

Two sides to any argument which is why there should be in place laid down procedures for making and resolving complaints about and from an employee.Why has nothing been done to the extent of it going on for months.  This is why you need an employment committee to ensure that such matters are dealt with swiftly and do not need to be laid before such as MO. Of course the clerk as an employee does have their contract with the pc and lots of back up in bringing actions against employers for constructive dismissal etc. If you do nothing else get this sort of matter dealt with quickly and efficiently- and of course in keeping with "modern" idiums of "no hurty words".

Answer 3

Out of interest do you film/ record meetings ?

Answer 4

There is no mechanism for a town / parish council to censure (or “take to task”) a member Cllr.