Bullying, that is: seeking to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived as vulnerable); is never acceptable.
But, as a search of EDW archives reveals, it is a term banded around frequently in local councils.
Owl suspects that it is sometimes confused with the cut and thrust of political debate between those holding strongly opposing views.
The investigation reported on by Grant Thornton to the Audit & Governance Committee (see press article below) dates from allegations made by Mark Williams in 2021. These allegations arose from a survey he appears to have conducted after the new political leadership took over EDDC in June 2020.
Background
Following the 2019 elections, the Tories lost overall control of EDDC but formed a working arrangement with Independents under the leadership of Ben Ingham (then an Independent who has subsequently returned to the Conservative Party).
In May 2020, after a series of defections, this arrangement broke down and a new Majority Group was formed. (A coalition between the East Devon Alliance Independents, other Independents and the LibDems, but excluding the Tories).
The opportunity for a smooth transition was dashed when Conservative Cllr and Council Chairman, Stuart Hughes, took the opportunity provided by a change in legislation by the government, relating to Covid, to cancel the May Annual Council Meeting. Constitutionally this is when leadership elections are held. The Tories held only one third of the seats at the time.
This decision created a constitutional crisis and required five extraordinary general meetings to be convened, under Covid restrictions, to formally make the change.
Given this fraught background with the Tories trying any means to retain some vestige of control it is perhaps not surprising that the atmosphere in EDDC was somewhat tense.
The CEO, Mark Williams, held the keys to facilitate a smooth transition. Indeed it was his duty as EDDC’s senior public servant, acting apolitically, to ensure it.
Owl has always found it incongruous that it was the CEO who was the first to make allegations of bullying so soon after the transfer of power, as the new administration was bedding in.
Owl has similarly found difficulty in understanding why, a year later, Mark Williams appeared to drag his heels over setting up the inquiry into how John Humphreys continued as a councillor, then alderman, for three years whilst under investigation by the police, without a safeguarding risk assessment. The final Verita report records the difficulties the authors had in getting him to respond to questions about new information that had come to light.
Despite this, the message coming out of the Grant Thornton audit is positive. A message strongly reinforced by the comments made in the Audit & Governance Committee by recently elected Cllr Charlotte Fitzgerald (Independent, Budleigh and Raleigh), who comes with fresh, and younger eyes, to the scene, see below.
Allegations of bullying at East Devon District Council
Will Goddard www.exmouthjournal.co.uk
East Devon District Council has had an “unacceptable culture” of behaviour, an external auditor has found.
There were allegations of bullying by some council officers and elected councillors, according to an independent report from audit firm Grant Thornton, which looked at a period between April 2021 and March 2023.
The report found “poor working relationships” meant there was a “significant weakness” in how the council was governed.
The firm heard suggestions some councillors didn’t stand for re-election because of behaviour and culture at the council, which at the time was controlled by a political group called the East Devon Alliance.
On a positive note, the auditor found “many excellent examples” of officers and councillors working well together during the pandemic and said relationships between “most officers and portfolio holders were generally effective”.
Grant Thornton has given the council several recommendations on how to fix problems in the way it is governed.
These include having a zero-tolerance policy on bullying, and revising the code of conduct and the protocols for how councillors and officers interact to include examples of unacceptable behaviour and sanctions.
The council’s management said it already had such a policy, and that refresher training would be provided.
Cllr Helen Parr (Conservative, Coly Valley) found the report “extremely concerning” and said: “It’s all very well doing training of new councillors, but it goes back to the people who were in the council at the times you looked at and whether they have changed their behaviour.
“I think it’s very questionable whether all this training has made behaviour changes.
“Culture comes from the top and that’s where we needed to have changes.
“It’s upsetting that we are a council with this problem when three, four years back we got the Investors in People platinum award.
“This council was an excellent council and now we have a report like this. I’m extremely worried about it.”
Cllr Charlotte Fitzgerald (Independent, Budleigh and Raleigh), who was elected in May, described the report’s findings as “foreign” to her experience so far.
She said: “I’ve only been on the council for eight months, I wasn’t here at the time that this report covers.
“I don’t recognise an unacceptable culture in any of my interactions so far. The officers have just been absolutely positive and constructive.
“We have had a change of councillors, we’ve had quite a lot of turnover in the last election.
“There’s also been a turnover of a significant amount of the senior executive leadership team in the last six to 12 months.
“I don’t want to dismiss or diminish the concerns that are raised here.
“But… it does seem to me that a lot of action is and has been taken in the last year or so to address some of these issues.
“I’m really looking forward to the next report… so we can actually see Grant Thornton’s external assessment of how we’re tracking against some of the recommendations that have been made.”
Councillors voted to keep track of the auditor’s recommendations to see whether they are implemented.
Footnote
Helen Parr says: “Culture comes from the top and that’s where we needed to have changes.” Owl agrees and thinks that significant changes have already happened.
East Devon Watch 