Good behaviour debate descended into allegations of abuse

A Dudley Council debate encouraging good behaviour ended in accusations of verbal abuse during bad-tempered exchanges between councillors.

A meeting of the authority on November 2 included an item recommending councillors sign a pledge to uphold principles of integrity, accountability, mutual respect and effective leadership.

The pledge was introduced by Cllr Hilary Bills, chairperson of the council’s Standards Committee, in response to a rise in complaints against councillors about their behaviour.

Cllr Bills told the meeting: “In an average year you would have about five complaints but since May to this September there have been ten complaints and seven have been member to member.

“Something has got to change, the committee decided we could have a set of pledges where it is itemised for you to understand what you should be doing.”

Cllr Andrea Goddard said she agreed with the principle and believed derogatory comments on social media were very damaging but the former mayor questioned the need for a pledge.

Cllr Goddard said: “I’m not five years old and I can’t sign something like this because I already feel I have integrity and that I have got respect for people.”

Liberal Democrat Cllr Ryan Priest criticised the selection of Reform UK Cllr Caley Ashman for the council’s Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee following social media posts he called ‘ableist’.

Reform’s deputy leader, Cllr Shaun Keasey hit back; he told Cllr Priest: “Don’t make me list every Liberal Democrat that has said things more or less the same and, before Labour members start clapping, I personally witnessed a  Labour member being homophobically screamed at in this very council building by a member of their own party.

“I suspect the complaints formally recorded represent only a fraction of the unacceptable behaviour that has taken place.

“I have served on this council for nine years and I can say I have never witnessed the level of personal disrespect that appears increasingly to have become the norm in this chamber.”

Cllr Keasey went on to describe being the subject of a video mocking his appearance which he said was made by another political group plus being subjected to insults about his appearance at a local election count by a member of the same political party.

Cllr Keasey said despite finding the insults embarrassing he did not make a complaint.

Cllr Alex Dale (Conservative) accused Cllr Keasey of hypocrisy and later accused him of telling his councillors Cllr Dale was behind the anti-Reform UK social media group Reform Watch; an allegation Cllr Dale denied.

Cllr Dale then attacked Reform Cllr Caley Ashman for laughing during the debate and Cllr Samuel Hussey for talking about people acting in good faith when he ‘forgot the way he spoke about council officers online’.

Cllr Keasey immediately called for the council’s monitoring officer, who polices councillors’ behaviour, to ask Cllr Dale to produce evidence to support his allegations against Reform councillors.

Cllr Dale attempted to make further comments but Mayor Cllr Pete Lowe, who chairs council meetings, said he would not allow further discussion on the matter.

In closing the debate, Cllr Bills said: “Thank you colleagues for demonstrating why the Standards Committee decided to do what it did.”

Councillors voted to accept the pledge document, which Cllr Bills said would be the standard by which anyone reported to her committee would be judged regardless of whether they signed it or not.

By Martyn Smith | Local Democracy Reporting Service