Former council leader cleared in bullying probe

The allegation against Councillor Nick Kemp came to light after he took a leave of absence due to ill health

A former council leader has been cleared by investigators looking into claims he bullied a senior director while in his role heading the authority.

An investigation found Nick Kemp did not breach Newcastle City Council's code of conduct in his treatment of Michelle Percy, who made a complaint against the long-serving politician last September.

Kemp, who resigned from the leader's post days after it was revealed he was the subject of the complaint, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

He has been approached for comment along with Ms Percy, who left her role as the council's director of investment and growth this summer.

An outside law firm was commissioned to conduct the investigation in November.

The council has confirmed the probe had "concluded that there had been no breach of the code of conduct for members", with the decision to be reported to the audit and standards committee on 30 September.

Findings 'confidential'

The authority said it would make no further details public, pointing to those involved having "a right to privacy" and that it "must also adhere to legislation around data protection".

"This is a confidential report that has only been shared with the subject member, complainant, the council's monitoring officer and the authority's independent persons in accordance with the relevant procedure," a spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"This investigation related to two individuals, and specific aspects of the code of conduct.

"It should remain confidential between all parties involved and it is not appropriate to provide a commentary on contents of the report."

The spokesperson said the authority would begin the process of launching an independent inquiry into its culture as it had promised to do when the complaint was first reported publicly last year.

In July, councillors were told the inquiry into the allegations had at that point cost more than £74,000.