The way Isle of Wight Councillors talk to one another, as well as to staff, has been raised as an issue at County Hall. It comes as the council agrees to sign up to the Local Government Authority’s ‘Debate Not Hate’ campaign, which challenges the normalisation of abuse. Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday evening (17th January), Councillor Julie Jones-Evans said the most disappointing element was the abuse she had received from fellow councillors, so it was not just from the outside but the inside. Councillor Matt Price also highlighted the ‘atrocious behaviour’ in the chamber with the way councillors have spoken to staff. He said:
“It has been the worst I have ever seen, some of it is inexcusable … Staff cannot answer back but they have been spoken to in a disgraceful way.”
Cllr Price challenged those who had spoken to staff in such a manner to look at their own behaviour. The national campaign looks to improve the response to and support for those in a public role who face abuse and intimidation. Cllr Karen Lucioni, who proposed the motion, said a Local Government Association survey found seven out of ten councillors had been abused or intimidated, which was unacceptable. She said it was putting people off from standing to be a councillor and just because they were in politics, did not mean they should put up with intimidation. Councillor Clare Mosdell, the leader of the Conservative group, said it was something all councillors could agree with but hoped it was not all ‘fluff and flannel’. She said:
“Life becomes difficult with regular abuse … but when it is reported [to the council] there is no support. “You are told to expect it as a county councillor — it doesn’t matter if it is making you ill. “What are we doing to stop it? Change it? We need to have something like a standards board as there is no punishment for this behaviour. “I completely get it but I want to know what will be done to protect councillors and staff.”
Councillor Chris Jarman echoed Cllr Mosdell and said there would be an overwhelming desire to support the motion but there needed to be robust processes in place within the council to deal with the issues. He said previous matters raised with the council had not been dealt with in the way most would have expected. The national campaign also aims to raise public awareness of the role of councillors in local communities and encourage healthy debate.
Just shows what level these people are on
Sack the bloody lot of them there just like kids
Wise words Bob … All amateurs , only doing the job for what they can get for themselves, and they wonder why they are not trusted ..or believed fools ..
Perhaps soon almost all can be replaced with AI (Artificial intelligence)
We would all save a fortune on our Council tax funding high salaries and pensions and expenses for them all, we would get wiser decisions, also the accusations of corruption would diminish. and the Councillors could get jobs like the of us do and then see how much ‘better’ they are then treated by employers and the general public.
Any kind of intelligence in there would be beneficial.
I too found this working there it made me ill I had to resign
Kindergarten pupils behave better than these pack of clowns .. get them all out .. nothing is better than this…. sh-1t show
Name and shame. The best method to stop abuse. But they don’t.
Yes make it t public
We as their employers need to know who the bullies are so they can be dealt with accordingly
They can’t do that ,they would end naming most of them.
Now now children behave
Matt Price said Staff cannot answer back… But he is SO wrong! Staff could and should stand against these self righteous bullies. They should record every episode of abuse from these clowns who know nothing about the workings of a Council because they were elected and, whatever their previous skill-set, they are not trained in anything relevant to the councils needs. Report them to HR, the Union or just tell anyone who will listen because word WILL get out! I would personally tell them to their face that their behaviour is out of order (recorded on your phone perhaps) and NEVER let anyone abuse you in any way. Bullies should never be allowed to sit as a councillor in our name, they should be removed and the reasons made public.
“Three strikes and you are out” Simple, if a Councillor gets three “official” complaints against him or her then they lose their position and all benefits of title.
Staff cannot answer back but they have been spoken to in a disgraceful way.”
….
if someone at work spoke to me in a disgraceful way and was in a more senior position to me, they would still get a whole load of disgraceful comments back – as i would be on safe ground – defending myself.
The staff couldn’t answer back! Well I would have been sacked straight away as I could never be spoken down to especially from these bunch of obnoxious money wasting knob heads. They would have received the same manner of abuse back!!!
They need to grow up, stop acting like children.
The way they talk to each other !!!!!!?????? Me thinks the way they speak to the general public should be addressed as well. Had a letter recently saying they were very sorry they had not been in contact, they where extremely short staffed and they had only just read the letter they had asked me to write ,explaining my circumstances. I wrote the letter 15 months ago.
We should all refuse to pay our council tax until such time these waste of space can guarantee us a proper and guaranteed service for what we are paying for, and act in an adult and responsible way to make sure we get it. If they don’t deliver the goods, we don’t pay them for it. They are like squabbling brats in the play ground. The council tax is just a cash cow for them to squander on themselves and we are seeing less and less of it used on us.
Alleged”Adults” behaving like schoolkids with an IQ equal to their shoe size, no wonder the Island is in its present state is it?