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.
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