The Ombudsman received a complaint that a Member (“the Member”) of Montgomery Town Council (“the Town Council”) breached the Members Code of Conduct (“the Code”) by failing to show respect and consideration for others, bullying and harassment of the Former Clerk and members of the Town Council, and malicious and vexatious complaints.
The Ombudsman investigated whether the Member’s conduct may amount to a breach of paragraphs 4(a), 4(b), 4(c), and 6(1)(a) of the Code.
The investigation found that the Town Council had experienced challenging interpersonal issues over a period of time and previous to the complaint, had undergone a Local Resolution process which identified corporate and individual situations requiring change and improvement. The Ombudsman considered that in the light of the Local Resolution findings and the Member’s right to freedom of expression as a councillor, the alleged conduct was not suggestive of a breach of the Code. The Ombudsman did not consider that complaints made by the Member had been malicious or vexatious.
The Ombudsman’s Guidance recommends that when members are performing their public roles, they should afford the public, colleagues, opponents and officers the same courtesy and consideration they show to others in their everyday lives. In view of this, the Ombudsman recommended that members of the Town Council, as a whole, should reflect on their obligations under the Code to treat others with respect and consideration