Newcastle City Council bullying investigation costs reach £74k
Mr Kemp, who resigned as leader in September and later quit the Labour Party, has denied any wrongdoing.The complaint against the Byker councillor was made by Michelle Percy, the council's director of investment and growth.
'Far too long'
Council solicitor Helen Wilson confirmed the current running cost of the investigation was £74,632.50, plus VAT.She said the inquiry into the bullying complaint had been a "significant undertaking" requiring interviews with multiple individuals and a "large amount of information" being gathered, and said she hoped a final report would be issued to the council's monitoring officer in August.If a breach of the council's code of conduct was found, then the matter would be referred to a special hearing in front of the audit and standards committee to decide what action to take, she added.
The committee's independent chair, Les Watson, said the situation had "gone on far too long" and that he wanted to move quickly once the final report is issued.Mr Kemp, who was replaced by Karen Kilgour in the leader role, said at the time of his resignation that he "strenuously" refuted any allegations of bullying.The long-serving councillor and five colleagues all quit Labour in November 2024, in doing so wiping out the party's majority in the council chamber, and now sit as members of an East End and Associates Independents group.
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