Council rejects 'harassment' claims against ex-leader

Former Dacorum Borough Council leader Ron Tindall denies all allegations against him

An independent report commissioned by a council concluded its former leader was more likely than not to have "sexually harassed" a councillor who "didn’t feel comfortable being left alone in a room" with him.

But, in a hearing held behind closed doors, Dacorum Borough Council's standards committee rejected the findings into Liberal Democrat councillor Ron Tindall’s alleged behaviour.

A Dacorum Liberal Democrats spokesperson said he remained suspended from their group “pending an internal investigation”.

Tindall denies all the allegations.

Two councillors formally lodged anonymous complaints against Tindall shortly before he was replaced as leader in April by Adrian England.

Last month, eight female Lib Dem councillors resigned the party whip after accusing England of “failing to deal with allegations of bullying and harassment, including sexual harassment”.

'Unwanted behaviour'

After their resignations, England told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Quite a lot has happened so we need to just have a think about what may have caused people to expend quite a bit of procedural venom."

An independent report was commissioned to investigate allegations Tindall had “made various misogynistic remarks which were completely inappropriate and disrespectful to women”.

It considered six incidents reported by the two councillors, which occurred while he was council leader.

It concluded, on the balance of probabilities, that “there was unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature on repeated occasions".

The report added: “The evidence that was heard created an uncomfortable and intimidating environment for the complainant to such an extent they didn’t feel comfortable being left alone in a room with him.”

It found both complainants were “very concerned about the impact of his comments, especially on younger women”.

Tindall told investigators “I just wouldn’t dream of doing that sort of thing,” and added he “had never used sexual connotations with colleagues”.

He said “he did not regard his remarks as having sexual connotations” and that they were not “in any way misogynistic”.

He added he was “proud of the number of female councillors in the [Lib Dem] group” and said his alleged comments “which might have been construed [sic] were jokes”.

He told the LDRS the investigator had “very professionally” taken on board his denials, but suggested they had “failed to recognise the political situation from which these complainants were emerging”.

The eight female Lib Dem councillors who resigned the party whip said "the mechanisms in local government do not provide a fair process for elected members to speak up against sexual harassment"

The council’s standards committee, made up of three male and one female councillor, dismissed the complaints.

They concluded one complaint was “insufficiently particularised or evidenced for either Councillor Tindall to fairly be able to respond, or for the committee to adjudicate as to whether what has been alleged is a breach of the code [of conduct]”.

On the other complaint they were “not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that the alleged factual allegations occurred”.

A spokesperson for the eight councillors who resigned said: “The mechanisms in local government do not provide a fair process for elected members to speak up against sexual harassment."

A council spokesperson said the report “only formed part of the evidence the committee received”.

They added: “The council has examined the process undertaken by the independent investigator and the standards committee and we are satisfied that all processes and procedures were followed correctly."