Spelthorne Borough Council leader referred back to standards committee
The sanctioned leader of Spelthorne Borough Council must face a fresh hearing into her conduct after it was ruled she failed to apologise for disrespecting staff – despite claiming she had.
Councillor Joanne Sexton was found to have mistreated a senior member of staff following a behind closed doors standards meeting in October.
A linked bullying matter was said to have been dropped due to a lack of evidence.
The Independent Spelthorne Group member for Ashford East was ordered to apologise for her actions but avoided further punishment – however six weeks later only a ‘meaningless’ draft email has been sent to the committee for approval.
The leader had previously stated to having privately apologised for the matter.
The unaccepted draft apology read: “Whilst I maintain that I did nothing wrong and totally deny all the allegations, to draw a line under matters I have agreed to provide an apology.
In such, if you felt from this event that I disrespected you that was not my intention and for that I apologise.”
The exact details of the incident remain private but the December 2 Standards Committee said the email fell far short of an acceptable apology while the complainant, upon seeing the draft said it was “so heavily caveated that it was virtually meaningless”.
She added: “It seems she’s blaming me for my reaction to the unacceptable behaviour that Sexton took.”
The matter is to be returned to subcommittee for a fresh hearing after it was decided Cllr Sexton failed to comply with the previously agreed sanction. However, Cllr Sexton said she had followed the panel’s ruling and issued the required apology.
Cllr John Boughtflower, leader of the Conservative group, said: “We are well aware that at the end of the session when the judgement was given that the charge was denied and a refusal to apologise….
“An apology to me is as fast as possible after the incident, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an apology taking this long and to apologise to the subcommittee in preference to a personal apology… anybody of any sense would go and properly apologise face to face.
“Had she wished to make an apology she would have done so already. It should go back to the standards committee.
“Anybody with any sense will have apologised. I’ve never heard of this..”
He added: “When she, on the day, said ‘I don’t agree with this outcome and I’m not going to apologise, a sanction should have been put in place then’.”
Councillor Sexton said: “I accepted the findings of the standards panel in line with their ruling, I duly submitted a written apology.
“To the best of my knowledge a majority of members of the panel accepted my written apology and therefore I believed I had followed the panel’s ruling and issued the apology that was required.”
A date has yet to be set for when the matter will be heard again.