Claims of bullying in East Riding Council peer challenge report ‘must lead to a change of culture’

Cllr David Nolan, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition, said claims in the report including decisions being taken outside democratic processes showed complacency on the part of the ruling Conservatives.

He added the draft Local Government Association (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge report showed change at East Riding Council was needed, including moving back to the committee system in place before its replacement by a cabinet model.

Councillors Jonathan Owen and John Holtby, Conservative leader and deputy of the council, have been contacted for comment along with other group members.

Council sources told LDRS the authority’s position remained that it would wait until the report is published in full before responding with an action plan as fact-checking its findings continues.

It comes as a draft of the Peer Challenge Report into the inner workings of East Riding Council, seen by LDRS, included several claims about the way it is run.

The Local Government Association (LGA) report is based on findings from a visit late last year from a six-strong Peer Review team including councillors and officers from elsewhere.

The draft report stated that while the council as a whole was largely stable and delivered good services, bullying from senior officers had been observed.

It also claimed decisions were being taken by officers under generous delegated powers and recommended that councillors have more of a say in the direction of the council.

Cllr Nolan said it portrayed the council is inward looking and incestuous.

The opposition leader said: “Some parts of the report were surprising and others weren’t.

“The problem is the leader decides who chairs the committees and who is on the cabinet, it’s all in the gift of the leader.

“All the chairs of the scrutiny committees are Conservatives, so they’re toothless tigers, and all members of the cabinet are from the ruling group.

“We’ve effectively got 10 councillors making all the decisions while the other 57 are left out.

“The council’s been run by the Conservatives for 20 years and because there’s so many wards in the East Riding which would elect them no matter what it breeds complacency.

“Although much of what’s in the report relates to a culture that’s been around for some time, Cllr Owen should bear some responsibility because he was deputy leader of the council for a long time.

“Previously when the council was more balanced we found the officers would consult members both of the ruling group and opposition because they had to.

“But now, if they’re being allowed to run the show then that’s what happens, and in many ways I don’t blame them.

“There needs to be a change in the culture of the council, although the old committee system was slow and cumbersome decisions were being taken in a more meaningful way.”