Agenda and minutes

Resolved that Councillor M Anderton be elected to Chair the meeting

Members will declare any pecuniary or significant other interests they have in relation to the items on this agenda.

None.

Cllr Anderton explained the purpose of the hearing, the procedures to be followed and the documents to be considered, as set out on the agenda.

Cllr E Stephenson explained that she had asked Cllr B Stephenson (her husband) to be her representative and to help present her case. She confirmed that she did not intend to call any witnesses, but said Fleetwood Town Councillor Mary Stirzaker  had come with her to the meeting and was sitting in the public gallery.

The Investigating Officer, Liesl Hadgraft, said that she had indicated during the pre-hearing process that she had intended to call Garry Payne (Wyre Council’s Chief Executive) as a witness but, as Cllr Stephenson had accepted that she had made the comments referred to in paragraph 4.3 of her investigation report, she did not now think it would be necessary to call him as a witness.

The Investigating Officer, Liesl Hadgraft, presented her report and findings. In doing so, she made the following points:

•      Following a planning meeting in July last year, she had received a total of 4 complaints from members, who had expressed concerns about Cllr Stephenson behaviour at the Planning Committee meeting on 5 July 2017.

•       Two of the complainants were members of the Planning Committee who had been at the meeting in question in that capacity and two had been there to observe the meeting.

•      The preliminary test she and the Independent Person (Barry Parsonage) had  concluded that, as Cllr Stephenson was a member of the Planning Committee, she had clearly been acting in her capacity as a Cllr at the time of the alleged behaviour and, therefore, that the complaints should be investigated further

•      She had met with Cllr E Stephenson in October 2017, who had been accompanied by Cllr Beavers and her husband, Cllr Brian Stephenson.

•      There had been an acknowledgement from all three Councillors that, at the planning meeting, Cllr E Stephenson had made comments after the vote had taken place on the Fleetwood Pier application.

•      Cllr E Stephenson had admitted to saying at the Planning Committee meeting “it’s a stitch up” and both Cllr Beavers and Cllr B Stephenson had acknowledged that they had also heard this

•      Cllr E Stephenson had also admitted to saying “you’ve got no backbone” Cllr Beavers and Cllr B Stephenson had stated that they did not hear her say those words.

•      Cllr E Stephenson had denied saying “you’re all a shower of shites“, and both Cllr Beavers and Cllr B Stephenson had also said she did not say that.

•      During the meeting, a lot of emphasis had been put on the last comment and in particular the words used.

•      Whilst this was perhaps unpleasant terminology, as Monitoring Officer, this was not her concern.

•      The main issue was around Cllr E Stephenson’s behaviour towards her fellow committee members, the perception that those comments would give to members of the public and to all those present  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.