Councillor banned from standing on town councils after being found guilty of ‘systematic harassment’

Emily Price 

An independent tribunal has ruled that a former town councillor, who was disqualified from serving on town and community councils due to bullying allegations, can continue to serve as a county councillor.

The Adjudication Panel for Wales ruled that former Bridgend Town Councillor Freya Bletsoe was guilty of 10 breaches of the code of conduct including disrespectful behaviour, harassment and making vexatious complaints.

The investigation came after the panel received a report by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales regarding Mrs Bletsoe’s treatment of Bridgend Town Council’s Clerk, Leanne Edwards.

After interviewing several witnesses, the panel determined that she had brought the council’s office into disrepute and shown a pattern of disrespectful behaviour towards the clerk that amounted to “systematic harassment”.

Key incidents included leaving a meeting abruptly after expressing dissatisfaction with Mrs Edwards as well as making inflammatory statements and using intimidating language towards her.

Mrs Bletsoe argued that it was “not right that any councillor should feel unable to question things presented to them in council for fear of being accused of bullying and intimidation”

Allegations

One witness claimed Mrs Bletsoe had been a victim of bullying herself by others on the council, particularly on social media.

But the panel concluded that there was no other evidence of this.

Mrs Bletsoe quit her town council role shortly after she was notified that she was under investigation but has continued sitting as a member of the Bridgend County Independents Group on Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC).

She has refuted the allegations against her and argued that she had been unfairly targeted.

In a report published at the weekend, the Adjudication Panel said that its investigation had been delayed when Mrs Bletsoe failed to respond to several emails.

She cited mental and physical health issues as factors impacting her ability to engage with proceedings.

But the panel said it was “particularly odd” that bursts of communication had come “when the respondent’s health crises had apparently been at their greatest.”

Illness

The day before the tribunal met to determine the allegations, Mrs Bletsoe provided evidence that she had attended hospital to have her gallbladder removed in October, then again in December.

But the report noted that “no GP notes were disclosed nor was there any form of formal mental health diagnosis”.

The panel also pointed out that she had been able to continue with her work as a county councillor during these periods of illness.

When questions were raised by the Adjudication Panel about Mrs Bletsoe’s incapacity, her husband, Steven Bletsoe, began to respond on her behalf.

Mr Bletsoe also serves as a councillor on Bridgend Town Council as well as BCBC.

He was recently suspended from the town council for six months after the Ombudsman found he had breached the code of conduct when he attempted to alter minutes that recorded an argument between the clerk and his wife.

The council’s standards committee later rejected a recommendation by the Adjudication Panel for the suspension to be cut to 10 weeks.

During the panel’s investigation of Mrs Beltsoe, several character references supporting her work as a town councillor were submitted.

But the panel concluded that there was “precious little direct evidence” which threw a different perspective upon the relationship between her and the town clerk than that put forward by the Ombudsman.

The panel also said it had treated evidence submitted by Mr Blestoe “with some circumspection for obvious reasons.”

Banned

Despite already stepping down from from her role as a town councillor, the Adjudication Panel ruled that Mrs Bletsoe should be disqualified from standing as a town or community councillor for 21 months.

But the panel stated that this sanction would not affect her role as an independent councillor for Labour-run BCBC.

The panel said: “We did not consider it appropriate to apply the disqualification to her role as a councillor within Bridgend County Borough Council in the absence of any evidence to suggest that she was not fulfilling that role appropriately and professionally.”

An unofficial Labour source who wished to remain anonymous hit out at this decision, saying that once an individual is in breach of the code for one organisation “it should take effect across all bodies”.

They said: All Councillors are held to the Nolan Principles of Public Life, what is clear from the Independent Adjudication Panel, is that Cllr Bletsoe fell extremely short of those principles and breached the code of conduct.

“Councillors are in positions of power, and it would have taken courage for those staff to come forward. All Councillors are Leaders in their community and the public expect to act with the utmost of integrity.

“I commend the staff for their braveness, and urge all that find themselves in such situations to speak out. Culture within public bodies is of the utmost importance, and needs calling out at every opportunity, in every walk of life.

“I now wait to see what response and action is of the Group Leader in condemning this behaviour, as I believe once an individual is in breach of the code for one organisation, it should take effect across all bodies that they represent in, as the trust in that individual is gone and is disappointing that this sanction was not imposed by the IAP.”

Freya Bletsoe is currently in hospital and was unable to comment.