Councillor suspended over 'intimidatory' behaviour towards staff member

Gary Hynds has been suspended for a month

A councillor has been suspended after accepting acts of "intimidatory" behaviour towards a senior council officer.

The conduct relates to a two person incident which took place behind closed doors at a Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) meeting on 25 June 2024.

A public hearing was due to take place over two days this week, but no witnesses were called after legal teams came to a last minute agreement.

Lisburn North independent councillor Gary Hynds has agreed to issue an apology for his behaviour, but said in a statement he believed he had acted in the best interest of his constituents.

"At all times I have acted in what I believed to be in the best interests of my constituents and highlighted important issues that I believe all constituents have a right to know about," he said.

"I believe in transparency and public accountability. I accept the decision of the adjudicating commissioner Mr Gordon and I will continue to hold Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council to account on all matters of public importance."

All councillors present in chambers on the night in question provided witness accounts to the Commissioner for Standards about the altercation, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) says.

Minutes of the LCCC full council meeting show 30 elected members were present with 10 apologies for non-attendance.

'Motivated by public interest'

The incident between councillor Hynds and a senior member of staff took place after the council had been meeting confidentially, so the live-stream of the meeting had been turned off and any members of the public present would have been asked to leave.

In a statement, the Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner for Standards Office said councillor Hynds will be suspended for one month.

"Following the altercation an allegation was made to the Commissioner for Standards that the councillor had failed to comply with the Councillor's Code of Conduct," it said.

"In his investigation report, the deputy commissioner stated that the councillor may have failed to comply with the code's rules which deal with respect and consideration for others."

It added that councillor Hynds agreed that his behaviour was intimidatory and that he had breached the code.

"However, he denied that his actions amounted to bullying or harassment," it said.

"Although he believed he was motivated by the public interest, he agreed to issue an apology to the senior council officer for his behaviour."

Both parties were thanked for their willingness to cooperate and it is understood the commissioner's office will release its decision in a matter of days.