Latest news with #StandardsCommissionforScotland
The National
30-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Scottish Labour councillor Donald Reid suspended for 'bullying'
A Standards Commission for Scotland hearing investigated Donald Reid's behaviour during an online meeting of the Kilwinning Locality Partnership in February 2024. The panel found that the Kilwinning councillor, who was first elected more than 20 years ago, was "disrespectful towards a member of the public" and that his conduct "amounted to bullying, even if that had not been his intent". A report published following today's hearing at the local authority's Cunninghame House headquarters in Irvine stated that Reid had breached two parts of the Councillors' Code of Conduct. The watchdog panel heard that a member of the public was representing local history society [[Kilwinning]] Heritage at last year's meeting. They were seeking funding from the council by way of presenting an "expression of interest" at the meeting. Cllr Donald Reid (Image: NAC) After hearing evidence from witnesses, the Standards Commission report said that Reid had been "rude, aggressive and confrontational in his questioning". It was also found that he "unnecessarily interrupted and spoke over her on various occasions" and he had "given the appearance of belittling her, Kilwinning Heritage and the expression of interest". The panel acknowledged that Reid had an important role in scrutinising potential applications to ensure council funds were distributed fairly and in the public interest. They also noted that he may not have intended to cause any upset. However, the panel found that his approach was "disproportionate" and that his questioning was "wholly inappropriate". They were also of the opinion that his conduct may have been viewed as "an attack on both Kilwinning Heritage and on the member of the public". The panel accepted similar conduct might be characterised as being "robust" and, in certain circumstances, acceptable had it been directed towards other elected members during a political debate. The panel noted, however, that Reid, as an elected politician, was in a position of relative power in respect of the member of the public, who was an unpaid volunteer giving up her time for a local heritage society, and it therefore constituted a breach of the code. They also considered that, as she had been subjected to what the panel considered was effectively an "unwarranted and unexpected public attack", it would be reasonable for the member of the public to have felt "upset, bullied and humiliated" as a result. It was agreed that the manner in which Reid conducted himself towards her was both "intimidating and disparaging". Dr Lezley Stewart, Standards Commission member and chair of the hearing panel, said: 'The requirements for elected members to treat members of the public with respect and to refrain from any conduct that could amount to bullying, are key requirements of the Councillors' Code. "The panel noted that a failure to comply with the code's provisions in these regards can have a detrimental impact on public confidence in both elected members and local authorities and, in particular, in respect of their expectation that members of the public will be treated appropriately when engaging with them.' Reid, who was first elected in 2002 following the Irvine West by-election before being elected a year later for Kilwinning West, said he intends to query the sanction further. He said: "Given the position I now find myself in, and as the penalty has gone some way beyond the commissioner's recommendation, I will be looking at lodging an appeal. "I never at any point set out to upset anyone, only to ensure the use of council funds is spent wisely." He added: "As a councillor, constituent work is not affected by this decision and I will continue to answer my phone and answer emails for those in need."
The Herald Scotland
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
What did Edinburgh Council's misconduct probe reveal?
It is a document that will make for troubling reading for councillors across the chamber - and leaves no one covered in glory. Many on the outside will see it as just the latest in a long line of scandals to hit the council. Elected officials tasked with picking up the pieces will hope to use it as an opportunity to improve the authority's internal processes for dealing with future allegations of misconduct. But even for an organisation well-acquainted with reputational damage, this has been an especially painful episode. Why was the investigation launched? The investigation was requested by councillors following allegations made in the press against former Scottish Labour council leader, Cammy Day. It was claimed Day had, via social media, sexually harassed two Ukrainian refugees, a council employee and a constituent, including sending unsolicited messages and images of a sexual nature. While admitting to contacting men over the gay dating app Grindr, he has strenuously denied acting inappropriately and a police investigation into his actions found 'no evidence of criminality'. After it also emerged complaints had been made to the council about the former leader's behaviour, councillors in February commissioned Kevin Dunion - a well-respected public official who has previously served as the head of the Standards Commission for Scotland, which enforces enforces ethical standards in public life, specifically for councillors - to examine how any complaints were handled by the authority and report back. The core remit of the investigation was to 'review the Council's policies and procedures to identify any gaps and/or further improvements which could be made considering the concerns and behaviours alleged in relation to Councillor Day'. It involved 35 structured review meetings involving 29 individuals. What complaints did the probe focus on? Mr Dunion's investigation assessed how four complaints about Mr Day were handled between 2018 and the end of 2023. Two were made through Safecall, the council's whistleblowing service, while one was sent directly to the former chief executive, and another to the former council leader, Adam Nols-McVey, who at the time led an SNP-Labour coalition alongside Day, who served as his deputy. Were complaints handled correctly? For the most part, Mr Dunion found the complaints made were handled in line with the council's existing policies. However, he said it was 'important to recognise how few policy or procedural requirements are applicable to complaints received by the Council about the behaviour of councillors'. He added: 'The Council's policy position taken in response to such complaints is that the Council is not able to investigate and instead to direct the complainant to the Ethical Standards Commissioner and/or to the police if the behaviour may be considered to involve criminality.' The 2018 anonymised complaint contained a 'very serious allegation' that an unnamed senior Labour councillor - later identified as Day - had 'groomed' the complainant online in 2010, who was a vulnerable 15-year-old boy at the time, 'and had invited him to his flat with sexual intent'. The email also indicates that he was in care because he had suffered sexual abuse. Nols-McVey had his business manager at the time respond and also raised the matter with the police, but was advised that 'unless there was someone named (either victim or perpetrator) the police would not be able to take it any further'. Mr Dunion concluded there were 'some inadequacies in the handling of this complaint'. Read more: The seriousness of the claim 'of potentially criminal behaviour by a councillor, who might be the Deputy Leader, is such that the emails should have been shared by the Council Leader with the Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer,' he said. 'Furthermore, the email alleged that the complainant was contacted whilst in care at the time, having suffered sexual abuse. This was information which should have been provided to the council, to decide whether to conduct its own enquiries. 'The former Council Leader now accepts that he should, at the least, have informed the Monitoring Officer.' In 2023, the then chief executive Andrew Kerr and number of senior staff, received an email from a councillor 'describing information which had been informally disclosed to him' which concerned the sexual harassment of a 'young Ukrainian man by an unnamed Edinburgh Councillor'. This referenced 'unsolicited messages and images being sent through social media which continued even after asking for the behaviour to stop' and the recipient was said to be feeling 'extremely harassed,' the report states. After Kerr was made aware that it related to Councillor Day he raised the matter with the police, 'as did subsequently the councillor who had raised the concern'. Dunion concluded the complaint 'was properly considered and investigated in line with the council's policies and procedures'. The council also received two whistleblowing disclosures through the Safecall hotline at the end of 2023. The first, on November 5, 'described behaviour of which they had been made aware, with the prospect that those allegedly directly affected would subsequently provide evidence'. However this was never received. The second, on 18 December, was from an individual claiming to be the subject of the complained about behaviour, but they 'did not provide evidence to substantiate the allegations'. Both cases were eventually closed with no action taken. Mr Dunion said: 'Based on this it was appropriate for the council to close the cases – i.e. to take no further action, unless more information was forthcoming. 'These complaints were well-handled and properly considered in line with the council's policies. 'It should be noted that, as the complaints were about a councillor, this meant that the role of Safecall was to gather information which might result in a referral to the [Ethical Standards Commissioner] for investigation.' What emails went missing and why? The email from the 2018 complainant could not be found when another councillor, who had a concern about safeguarding of children, requested to see them in 2019. On searching, the messages 'could not be found in the mailboxes accessible to the business manager. Yet their loss was not reported to anyone at the time,' the report said. 'It was only in December 2024 when the Council was forwarded a copy of the 2018 email, from an external source.' Mr Dunion said this came as an 'unexpected consequences of the emails being retained solely in the recipient's mailbox'. The council commissioned a 'major IT consultancy to carry out a search of the council's email server,' but 'nothing was found in the former Council Leader's mailbox. His former Business Manager's mailbox could not be checked as they had already left the organisation, and it had been removed'. Mr Dunion said there were 'several possible reasons why the Business Manager's messages were missing when they sought them in 2019,' including that during 2017-2019 there was a refresh of devices in the council and a move to Office 365. He said deliberate deletion 'could only be done by someone with knowledge that the emails existed and had access to the computer or mailbox of the Business Manager,' adding: 'I would observe that it appears the Business Manager had not informed anyone else of the emails received by the Council Leader.' What sensitive documents were leaked? Part of the investigation was to determine how sensitive reports detailing the two whistleblowing complaints about Councillor Day made their way into the press. A Story in The Times, published on December 6 last year just days before the Sunday Mail first reported allegations surrounding messages to Ukrainian refugees which led to his resignation, quoted directly from a top secret investigation outcome report considered at the whistleblowing sub-committee. 'There is no doubt therefore that the information has been leaked by someone who has access to that report and has confidently concluded that it concerns Councillor Day,' Mr Dunion said. As part of his enquiries Mr Dunion individually challenged each sub-committee member over the leak, 'as to whether they are directly responsible for providing it to The Times or have disclosed the information to someone else who may have done so'. He said: 'All have denied doing so. Many have expressed a view on this however there is no evidence which would allow an assertion to be made by me. Nor are there any proportionate means within the limited capacity of this review to do more. 'There is no doubt however that this constitutes an egregious breach of the confidentiality requirements of Councillors Code of Conduct and undermines confidence in the whistleblowing process. It calls into question whether whistleblowing complaints regarding councillors should be investigated or whether the whistleblowing sub-committee has to be provided with information regarding such investigations.' Furthermore, an email sent by the council's chief executive Paul Lawrence to group leaders last year informed them of checks made by council officers on property related to Councillor Day, in response to claims he was acting as an unregistered landlord. The entirety of the email was reported in the Daily Record on December 12. 'I spoke directly to each of the group leaders to ask whether they were responsible for providing it to the newspaper or had disclosed the information to someone else who may have done so,' Dunion said. 'They have all denied doing so, and there is no evidence which would make it appropriate for me to draw a conclusion. Was Councillor Day's alleged misconduct an 'open secret'? A 'commonplace expression' about the alleged behaviour by the former council leader - in particular allegations of approaches made, and images sent or sought - was that 'it is an open secret', and that 'everyone knew,' Dunion wrote in his report. 'However, it is clear from my investigation that is not the case. 'Some people are said to have experienced or known of this alleged behaviour; some were aware of rumours and believed them to be true; some were aware and believed them to be malicious and others were wholly unaware of the alleged behaviour. 'Some regarded the alleged behaviour as being somewhat reckless, but perhaps not surprising, giving rise to salacious, even amused, gossip. It has been suggested that it was common behaviour in the gay community, and to react with disapproval is narrow-minded. 'Others have reacted against this stereotyping of the gay community, saying if unsolicited images are sent and persistent unwanted requests are made this is a form of abuse, no matter the sexuality of those responsible. 'There are other instances which have apparently been reported up the management chain, such as alleged unwanted advances being made to junior staff but being treated as gossip, or concerns about a social relationship with a young member of staff being formed, but a procedural response taken, based around the narrow legal requirement for safeguarding.' Mr Dunion said if there can be said to be a culture within the council in respect of complaints relating to councillors 'it is at times one of 'What is expected to be done about it?' and even more so when it may involve the Council Leader'. 'This may be understandable, even if not sufficient.' Are safeguards sufficient to prevent inappropriate behaviour by councillors? He said if alleged behavior was regarded as relating to an individual's personal life there is 'an obvious reluctance by staff to disapprovingly question the council leader'. 'If material comes into the public domain which is seen as reputationally harmful politically and unbecoming of an office-holder, that may be regarded as matter for the political party, not council officers to address.' Even if there was a possibility the conduct related to their role as a councillor, for a sanction to be imposed it must be proved there was a breach of the Councillors' Code of Conduct through an investigation by the Ethical Standards Commissioner. This requires a formal public hearing to have been held, 'after what may be a lengthy investigation,' Dunion pointed out. 'The complainant would be expected to give a statement under oath and be subject to cross examination by the councillor complained of or their representative. 'Understandably it is not a course of action to be taken lightly.' 'If a councillor is seen as behaving inappropriately, then this might be taken up by senior staff with the Group Leader or Whip. Where, however, the complaint concerns the Council Leader and Group Leader then that is not an option.' Responding directly to the question in the remit of whether the safeguards in the council are sufficient to prevent behaviour such as that alleged in relation to Councillor Day occurring, Mr Dunion said: 'In short, the answer is no. Read more from our Edinburgh correspondent: 'There are none which could have an effect on the alleged communications with the public. There are none that could prevent the alleged personal, or online, communication with members of staff or councillors. 'However a better focus on a safeguarding response to unwanted or inappropriate behaviour, which increases the likelihood of it being made known and potentially challenged, either directly or by action taken to protect the affected individual, may help to prevent it occurring.' Did Councillor Day's position of power contribute to the hindering of reporting? Mr Dunion said it was 'reasonable to conclude that the positions held by Councillor Day had an effect upon complainants, and those made aware of complaints'. 'The complainant in 2018 made it clear that he was a vulnerable 15-year-old in 2010, when the alleged misconduct is said to have occurred. Even in 2018, he said he remained fearful of retaliation if the councillor concerned was made aware he was the complainant. 'In the December 2023 case raised with the chief executive, the Ukrainian individual was said to be concerned that, if he made a complaint, it might result in some response which would affect his visa status. 'There is no doubt there is a significant perceived power imbalance which inhibits complaints being made directly to the council about the alleged unwanted behaviour of the leader.' …And what about the 'alcohol-fuelled parties'? In an appendix to his report, Mr Dunion highlighted concerns about the drinking culture in the City Chambers where councillors sometimes hold parties, such as at Christmas, and informal gatherings after meetings. 'Several councillors and staff interviewed have commented adversely on this prevalent culture of hospitality, which can be taken to excess and have suggested that this practice cease completely,' he wrote. Mr Dunion said 'scarcely any interview' he conducted with councillors did not referenced these parties. 'Concerns raised from these parties result from them involving alcohol and not being formal. 'The behaviour complained of included allegations of public arguments and altercations, concerns about establishing the age of individuals being served alcohol, excessive drinking, drinks being taken into non-bookable rooms, and effects of alcohol on junior members of staff, as well as safeguarding concerns in that respect. 'By all accounts some staff and councillors at these events failed to meet the standards expected. 'A recommendation, arising from the concerns expressed to me, is that the Council considers the appropriateness of such social events and hospitality arrangements.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Edinburgh Council 'must learn lessons' from probe into handling of Cammy Day complaints
Lessons 'must be learned' after the publication of a report spelling out the council's handling of sexual harassment allegations against former leader Cammy Day, according to city councillors. The report found that Edinburgh council needed to improve its safeguarding measures, and that a 'prevalent' culture of hospitality needed to be looked at by the council. But it found that council officers had acted appropriately in handling complaints made to them. READ MORE: British couple try Chinese takeaway in America and spot one big difference READ MORE: Edinburgh gang war continues in west as thugs torch taxi owned by dad of Mr Big's girlfriend It also said that people who had complained about the behaviour of the former council leader experienced a 'significant perceived power imbalance' when making complaints about him. Council leader Jane Meagher said the report was 'largely reassuring' – but that recommendations made in the report needed to be carried out 'swiftly and comprehensively'. Kevin Dunion, former chair of the Standards Commission for Scotland, carried out the third party investigation that resulted in the report, which itself was commissioned by the council. Mr Dunion's investigation came after recent and historic complaints about alleged sexual harassment by former Labour council leader Cammy Day came to light. Councillor Day resigned in December 2024 soon after the first allegations were published in the press, and he was suspended from the Labour Party soon after. Multiple Ukrainian refugees said Cllr Day had sent them unsolicited images and messages on social media, even after being asked to stop. In one historic incident, which took place in 2010 and was reported in 2018, a then 15-year-old boy said he was sexually harassed online by Cllr Day. Since his resignation, a police investigation into his behaviour has found no evidence of criminality, with the former leader claiming he is the target of a political witch hunt. SNP group leader, Councillor Simita Kumar, said: 'It is imperative that lessons must be learned. 'A common thread throughout this report is that staff and complainants felt unable – or unwilling – to raise concerns due to the power and influence of the accused. 'We must establish better systems to support and protect those who come forward or the risk of abuse by those in positions of authority will persist.' Mr Dunion's report found that leaks of information about alleged leaks by councillors had impeded the city's whistleblowing process. Councillor Ed Thornley, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: 'I want to thank Kevin Dunion for his report and the work that's gone into it. He's highlighted several issues with the way the Council's processes aren't working correctly and the gaps in them. 'It's clear reading the report that where Council officers have been aware and informed, they acted appropriately and gave sound advice in line with the agreed processes. That is not the case for councillors. 'The two leaks of confidential information by councillors seriously undermine the integrity of the systems in place, and call into question the judgement of the individuals responsible. 'Such leaks represent a deliberate and blatant breach of the Councillors' Code of Conduct. The Lib Dem group will consider Mr Dunion's recommendations thoroughly over the coming days.' Edinburgh Council's leader, Labour councillor Jane Meagher said: 'I want to thank Mr Dunion for leading this review, and for his report. 'While I'm largely reassured by Mr Dunion's findings about how recent complaints have been handled by officers, clearly, there are elements of this report which are of serious concern to us as elected members and we must act on his recommendations swiftly and comprehensively. I have already taken practical steps to begin to change the culture in the City Chambers. 'Our priority must be to nurture positive working relationships throughout the Council where colleagues feel able to speak up if something isn't right, they know and trust the channels open to them and they feel safe and supported in doing so. 'I'm fully committed to taking Mr Dunion's recommendations forward and, subject to approval by councillors next Thursday, look forward to agreeing concrete actions when officers bring a further report back in August outlining our proposed actions in response to Mr Dunion's recommendations.' Independent councillor Ross McKenzie, who was part of the Labour group until 2023, said: 'It's now up to the Labour Party to decide whether they are comfortable with Cammy Day being a Labour councillor. 'The report contains details of an extraordinarily serious allegation made in 2018 and a pattern of sexual harassment allegations since. 'If Labour are serious about safeguarding then they will have conducted an exhaustive investigation into all of these allegations.' Cllr Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, Edinburgh Green group co-convenor said: 'This report makes grim reading, and lays bare the council's completely inadequate response to multiple serious allegations of inappropriate behaviour against the former council leader. "On behalf of the Green group, I want to apologise that the council has so badly let down alleged victims who have had the bravery to come forward. It is clear the council must address the recommendations in Mr Dunion's report and must make changes to council processes to ensure that alleged victims are never let down in this way again.' 'I want to thank Mr Dunion for the time and effort he has taken in preparing this detailed and comprehensive report. "It is essential the council takes the time to address these recommendations and improves processes to ensure that all complaints against a councillor are properly investigated in future. "The report makes clear there was a pattern of sexual harassment allegations which were not taken seriously or properly investigated. "The council needs to both improve its processes, and also change its culture, to ensure this pattern of behaviour is never allowed to continue unchecked in future.' The Dunion report will be considered by Edinburgh councillors at the next full council meeting on Thursday, 19 June, which can be viewed here. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
STV News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- STV News
Council vows 'lessons must be learned' after report into complaint handling
Lessons 'must be learned' after the publication of a report spelling out the council's handling of sexual harassment allegations against former leader Cammy Day, according to city councillors. The report found that Edinburgh council needed to improve its safeguarding measures, and that a 'prevalent' culture of hospitality needed to be looked at by the council. But it found that council officers had acted appropriately in handling complaints made to them. It also said that people who had complained about the behaviour of the former council leader experienced a 'significant perceived power imbalance' when making complaints about him. Council leader Jane Meagher said the report was 'largely reassuring' – but that recommendations made in the report needed to be carried out 'swiftly and comprehensively'. Kevin Dunion, former chair of the Standards Commission for Scotland, carried out the third party investigation that resulted in the report, which itself was commissioned by the council. Mr Dunion's investigation came after recent and historic complaints about alleged sexual harassment by former Labour council leader Cammy Day came to light. Councillor Day resigned in December 2024 soon after the first allegations were published in the press, and he was suspended from the Labour Party soon after. Multiple Ukrainian refugees said Cllr Day had sent them unsolicited images and messages on social media, even after being asked to stop. In one historic incident, which took place in 2010 and was reported in 2018, a then 15-year-old boy said he was sexually harassed online by Cllr Day. Since his resignation, a police investigation into his behaviour has found no evidence of criminality, with the former leader claiming he is the target of a political witch hunt. SNP group leader, councillor Simita Kumar, said: 'It is imperative that lessons must be learned. 'A common thread throughout this report is that staff and complainants felt unable – or unwilling – to raise concerns due to the power and influence of the accused. 'We must establish better systems to support and protect those who come forward or the risk of abuse by those in positions of authority will persist.' Mr Dunion's report found that leaks of information about alleged leaks by councillors had impeded the city's whistleblowing process. Councillor Ed Thornley, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: 'I want to thank Kevin Dunion for his report and the work that's gone into it. He's highlighted several issues with the way the Council's processes aren't working correctly and the gaps in them. 'It's clear reading the report that where Council officers have been aware and informed, they acted appropriately and gave sound advice in line with the agreed processes. That is not the case for councillors. 'The two leaks of confidential information by councillors seriously undermine the integrity of the systems in place, and call into question the judgement of the individuals responsible. 'Such leaks represent a deliberate and blatant breach of the Councillors' Code of Conduct. The Lib Dem group will consider Mr Dunion's recommendations thoroughly over the coming days.' Edinburgh Council's leader, Labour councillor Jane Meagher said: 'I want to thank Mr Dunion for leading this review, and for his report. 'While I'm largely reassured by Mr Dunion's findings about how recent complaints have been handled by officers, clearly, there are elements of this report which are of serious concern to us as elected members and we must act on his recommendations swiftly and comprehensively. I have already taken practical steps to begin to change the culture in the City Chambers. 'Our priority must be to nurture positive working relationships throughout the Council where colleagues feel able to speak up if something isn't right, they know and trust the channels open to them and they feel safe and supported in doing so. 'I'm fully committed to taking Mr Dunion's recommendations forward and, subject to approval by councillors next Thursday, look forward to agreeing concrete actions when officers bring a further report back in August outlining our proposed actions in response to Mr Dunion's recommendations.' Independent councillor Ross McKenzie, who was part of the Labour group until 2023, said: 'It's now up to the Labour Party to decide whether they are comfortable with Cammy Day being a Labour councillor. 'The report contains details of an extraordinarily serious allegation made in 2018 and a pattern of sexual harassment allegations since. 'If Labour are serious about safeguarding then they will have conducted an exhaustive investigation into all of these allegations.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Edinburgh Reporter
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Edinburgh Reporter
Lessons must be learned after publication of Day report
Lessons 'must be learned' after the publication of a report spelling out the council's handling of sexual harassment allegations against former leader Cammy Day, according to city councillors. The report found that Edinburgh council needed to improve its safeguarding measures, and that a 'prevalent' culture of hospitality needed to be looked at by the council. But it found that council officers had acted appropriately in handling complaints made to them. It also said that people who had complained about the behaviour of the former council leader experienced a 'significant perceived power imbalance' when making complaints about him. Council leader Jane Meagher said the report was 'largely reassuring' – but that recommendations made in the report needed to be carried out 'swiftly and comprehensively'. Kevin Dunion, former chair of the Standards Commission for Scotland, carried out the third party investigation that resulted in the report, which itself was commissioned by the council. Mr Dunion's investigation came after recent and historic complaints about alleged sexual harassment by former Labour council leader Cammy Day came to light. Councillor Day resigned in December 2024 soon after the first allegations were published in the press, and he was suspended from the Labour Party soon after. Multiple Ukrainian refugees said Cllr Day had sent them unsolicited images and messages on social media, even after being asked to stop. In one historic incident, which took place in 2010 and was reported in 2018, a then 15-year-old boy said he was sexually harassed online by Cllr Day. Since his resignation, a police investigation into his behaviour has found no evidence of criminality, with the former leader claiming he is the target of a political witch hunt. SNP group leader, Councillor Simita Kumar, said: 'It is imperative that lessons must be learned. 'A common thread throughout this report is that staff and complainants felt unable – or unwilling – to raise concerns due to the power and influence of the accused. 'We must establish better systems to support and protect those who come forward or the risk of abuse by those in positions of authority will persist.' Mr Dunion's report found that leaks of information about alleged leaks by councillors had impeded the city's whistleblowing process. Councillor Ed Thornley, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: 'I want to thank Kevin Dunion for his report and the work that's gone into it. He's highlighted several issues with the way the Council's processes aren't working correctly and the gaps in them. 'It's clear reading the report that where Council officers have been aware and informed, they acted appropriately and gave sound advice in line with the agreed processes. That is not the case for councillors. 'The two leaks of confidential information by councillors seriously undermine the integrity of the systems in place, and call into question the judgement of the individuals responsible. 'Such leaks represent a deliberate and blatant breach of the Councillors' Code of Conduct. The Lib Dem group will consider Mr Dunion's recommendations thoroughly over the coming days.' Edinburgh Council's leader, Labour councillor Jane Meagher said: 'I want to thank Mr Dunion for leading this review, and for his report. 'While I'm largely reassured by Mr Dunion's findings about how recent complaints have been handled by officers, clearly, there are elements of this report which are of serious concern to us as elected members and we must act on his recommendations swiftly and comprehensively. I have already taken practical steps to begin to change the culture in the City Chambers. 'Our priority must be to nurture positive working relationships throughout the Council where colleagues feel able to speak up if something isn't right, they know and trust the channels open to them and they feel safe and supported in doing so. 'I'm fully committed to taking Mr Dunion's recommendations forward and, subject to approval by councillors next Thursday, look forward to agreeing concrete actions when officers bring a further report back in August outlining our proposed actions in response to Mr Dunion's recommendations.' Independent councillor Ross McKenzie, who was part of the Labour group until 2023, said: 'It's now up to the Labour Party to decide whether they are comfortable with Cammy Day being a Labour councillor. 'The report contains details of an extraordinarily serious allegation made in 2018 and a pattern of sexual harassment allegations since. 'If Labour are serious about safeguarding then they will have conducted an exhaustive investigation into all of these allegations.' By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
