Labour mayor accused of bullying and harassment by staff
Dan Norris, the Labour MP, has been accused of bullying and harassment by staff at a local authority, The Telegraph can reveal.
The accusations were made against Mr Norris in his role as the Mayor of the West of England.
In recent years the authority has handed over hundreds of thousands of pounds in taxpayers' money to pay off former employees.
The details have emerged after Mr Norris, a former minister and the serving MP for North East Somerset, was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl, rape, child abduction and misconduct in a public office following a police raid on his constituency home.
The 65-year-old, who has previously worked as a teacher and an NSPCC-trained child protection officer, was immediately suspended by the Labour Party.
Sir Keir Starmer's party selected him as a candidate for the July 2024 election when he was already embroiled in a row over allegations of the unlawful use of public money to pay for an advert on a bus.
Since ousting Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg at the general election, Mr Norris has caused controversy by keeping his job as mayor, leading to him claiming two salaries from the public purse, totalling almost £180,000.
The Telegraph has now seen documents which detail allegations about his behaviour at the West of England Combined Authority (Weca), which he leads as mayor.
This includes a 'proposal regarding a culture review', which came after a grievance was raised against Mr Norris for harassment, bullying and constructive dismissal.
It noted that a staff survey in October 2023 had raised concerns that there was 'a need to 'protect officers from the mayor'.'
There had been an 'unprecedented level of turnover' within some teams because of Mr Norris's 'actions and decisions', one union boss alleged.
An independent report by auditors Grant Thornton noted that there were concerns over the severance pay to a former chief executive and the use of £10,000 for the bus advert.
It states that the circumstances leading to the £219,000 severance payoff to Dr Patricia Greer 'included instances of sub-optimal interaction' between Weca officers and the mayor.
A 'dissatisfaction with the quality of interaction' with Mr Norris and his office had been cited by a number of senior employees who had quit Weca since he was elected to the role in 2021.
The report by Grant Thornton said: 'Whilst the mayor is entitled to fulfil their role in a style that they choose, they need to ensure that this does not fall short of applicable standards of conduct and does not expose the combined authority to a disproportionate level of financial, legal or reputational risk.'
They concluded that the payoff to Dr Greer was dealt with properly.
Labour was aware of issues at Weca as a warning over governance and value for money was sent in March 2024 in part because of the 'poor state of professional relationships' between Mr Norris and other members of the authority.
However, two months after the Best Value Notice was published, the party announced that Mr Norris would be standing against Sir Jacob.
The Grant Thornton report also noted that the £10,000 payment for a bus advertisement featuring the mayor, which was intended to promote a bus subsidy scheme, had been found to be unlawful by Weca officers.
The wrap featuring Mr Norris and his dog had been found in 2023 to be in breach of guidance on the 'use of public funding for personal political benefit' as it promoted him as an individual as opposed to the scheme.
There was evidence that he had given a 'verbal direction' to proceed with the purchase, though this was denied by Mr Norris, the report notes.
The documents have been lodged with an employment tribunal and will be presented to the High Court, where Mr Norris is separately being sued for harassment and bullying related to his role as the chairman of the League Against Cruel Sports. It is understood that they are being used as evidence of a course of conduct by Mr Norris.
Mr Norris stepped down from his role at the League after his arrest.
Andy Knott, the former chief executive of the charity, alleges that he was forced out after he refused to accept a 'U-turn' on Labour's promise to close 'all loopholes' in hunting laws if they won the election.
Mr Norris has not responded to a request for comment. He is currently on conditional bail pending further enquiries into the allegations of sexual offences.
In a statement, Avon and Somerset Police said: 'In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.
'Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s but we're also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.'
A spokesman for Weca said: 'We are aware of Avon & Somerset Police's statement but are unable to comment on an ongoing police investigation.'
Mr Norris is due to stand down from his role as mayor at the local elections in May.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UK Government ‘betraying Wales' over rail funding, Plaid leader says
Plaid Cymru has called for the First Minister of Wales to condemn the UK government for 'betraying Wales' on rail funding. Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid, criticised the UK Labour Government for reclassifying the £6.6 billion Oxford to Cambridge line to an England and Wales project. The designation means Wales will not receive the additional rail funding it would get if branded an England-only project. Mr ap Iorwerth called on Eluned Morgan, the Welsh Labour First Minister, to condemn the reclassification. Baroness Morgan agreed Wales was not getting its fair share but said she was expecting to see positive changes in the UK Government's spending review on Wednesday. Mr ap Iorwerth's comments come following reports that revealed the project had originally been listed as England-only from 2020 to 2024. The Treasury told the BBC the classification was a 'publishing error' and insisted it was always considered an England and Wales development. Speaking First Minister's Questions in the Senedd on Tuesday, Mr ap Iorwerth said: 'We were getting our share until Labour actively moved the goalposts. 'Labour went out of its way to make sure Wales wouldn't get the money when the big spending really began.' He added: 'She should be joining me in condemning the UK Labour Government for betraying Wales. Will she?' Mr ap Iorwerth argued the reclassification was a 'new HS2 scandal' – a rail project that has been controversial in Wales. Despite none of the track being laid in the country, it was also designated an England and Wales project by the last UK Conservative government. Plaid has said this designation cost Wales £3.9 billion in funding. Responding to Mr Iorwerth, Baroness Morgan said: 'I've learned to expect nothing but constant negativity from the Plaid Cymru leader. 'I've been clear and I've been consistent when it comes to rail funding that we have not been getting our fair share of funding, in a position that the Tories left us with for over a decade. 'The difference between the Tories and the UK Labour Government is that they've recognised that injustice. 'I don't know what's going to be in the spending review, but the one thing I do know is that if Labour gave Wales a total land of milk and honey, Plaid Cymru would still find fault.' Baroness Morgan added they were 'expecting something positive from the spending review', but the Welsh government would have to keep on making the case for a fair share of funding. In January, the UK government admitted Welsh railways had been underfunded, with spending at 'low levels' in recent years. However, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander did not announce any additional funding at the time.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trust no one when it comes to ID cards
Polly Toynbee posits a world in which everyone has a smartphone and all government agencies can be trusted (Digital ID cards would be good for Britain – and a secret weapon for Labour against Reform, 9 June). What colour is the sky in this world?Linda MockettWinnersh, Berkshire • Am I the only one thinking about Sellafield and wondering by what stretch of the imagination nuclear power can be called 'clean' (Sizewell C power station to be built as part of UK's £14bn nuclear investment, 10 June)?Dr Nigel MellorNewcastle upon Tyne • This year, I received my 50 years' service badge from Aslef – a couple of years late, but we are train drivers, after all. During my career, I always 'worked on the railway', never on the trains (Letters, 8 June). Malcolm SimpsonSalisbury, Wiltshire • So is an airport a plane station or a runway station?Colin ProwerChipping Norton, Oxfordshire • I am sick of hearing calls to raise the price of alcoholic beverages (Letters, 8 June). This would have little or no effect on the middle and upper classes, but would punish those on lower incomes. What next? A rise in food prices to deal with the obesity problem?Noel HannonLondon • Damned bold of Dave Schilling to assume Elon Musk and Donald Trump ever had anything like friendship, as opposed to plans to exploit each other (Male friendship isn't easy. Just ask Trump and Musk, 7 June).Brandi WeedWoodland, California, US
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scrapping of Vagrancy Act next year landmark moment, say homelessness charities
A 200-year-old law criminalising rough sleepers is to be scrapped in what homeless charities have hailed a 'landmark moment'. The Vagrancy Act, introduced in 1824 for punishment of 'idle and disorderly persons, and rogues and vagabonds, in England', is to be repealed by spring next year, the Government has confirmed. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, said Labour is 'drawing a line under nearly two centuries of injustice towards some of the most vulnerable in society'. The law was brought in to deal with rising homelessness after the Napoleonic Wars and the Industrial Revolution and modern-day homeless charities have long called for it to be scrapped. Campaigners said criminalising the most vulnerable has never been the answer and instead homelessness needs to be properly addressed through support for people who end up sleeping rough. Figures published in April showed the number of people classed as living on the streets in London had risen by more than a third (38%) year-on-year to 706 from 511. According to the latest Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) statistics, the total number recorded as sleeping rough in the capital was 4,427 for the three months to March 2025, which was a near-8% increase from 4,118 for the same quarter last year. Ms Rayner said: 'No one should ever be criminalised simply for sleeping rough and by scrapping this cruel and outdated law, we are making sure that can never happen again.' Homelessness minister Rushanara Ali described the 'archaic' Act as 'neither just nor fit for purpose'. She added: 'Scrapping the Vagrancy Act for good is another step forward in our mission to tackle homelessness in all its forms, by focusing our efforts on its root causes.' The Government said new 'targeted measures will ensure police have the powers they need to keep communities safe – filling the gap left over by removing previous powers', and will be brought in throughamendments to the Crime and Policing Bill. These will be new offences of facilitating begging for gain and trespassing with the intention of committing a crime. The Government said this will ensure organised begging – often facilitated by criminal gangs – remains an offence, meaning it is unlawful for anyone to organise others to beg by, for example, driving them places to do so. Crisis chief executive Matt Downie said: 'This is a landmark moment that will change lives and prevent thousands of people from being pushed into the shadows, away from safety.' He praised the Government for having 'shown such principled leadership in scrapping this pernicious Act'. He said: 'We hope this signals a completely different approach to helping people forced onto the streets and clears the way for a positive agenda that is about supporting people who desperately want to move on in life and fulfil their potential. We look forward to assisting the UK Government with their forthcoming homelessness strategy to do exactly that.' St Mungo's chief executive Emma Haddad said the Act's repeal 'cannot come soon enough' and called for a 'focus on tackling the health, housing and wider societal issues that are causing homelessness in the first place'. Youth homelessness charity Centrepoint warned that a challenge will be 'ensuring that proposed amendments don't have the unintended consequences of punishing people instead of supporting them'. Balbir Kaur Chatrik, the charity's director of policy and prevention, said: 'Criminalising the most vulnerable was never an effective solution and we look forward to working with the Government on its ending homelessness strategy to ensure people in this position are supported, not punished going forward.'
