Authority 'not safe for women', claims councillor

Lara Pringle said she had lost faith in the Liberal Democrats and that it was "not safe" to be a female politician in Dacorum

A Liberal Democrat councillor who resigned the whip said she had lost faith in her party and that it was "not safe" to be a female politician on the authority.

Lara Pringle was one of eight women who stood down from the Lib Dem group on Dacorum Borough Council in Hertfordshire after accusing its current leader of failing to deal with allegations of bullying and sexual harassment against former leader Ron Tindall.

Tindall denied the allegations but the party has confirmed he remains suspended from the local Liberal Democrats group pending an internal investigation.

The council has rejected Pringle's claims, saying it "remained committed to continuing its positive work to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion across its workforce”.

Pringle said she was told not to mention her job as a criminal barrister when she was campaigning in a by-election in 2018.

A Liberal Democrats spokesperson said: "We would always encourage any women with allegations of this kind to come forward so they can be assessed under the party's independent complaints process.”

Pringle said she felt "women were seen as a different class from men" in politics and that she experienced this during her first by-election in 2018, five years before Tindall was appointed leader.

She said she was asked to include details of her connections with a local primary school in election literature rather than her work as a criminal barrister, after being told people might be "frightened" to vote for a female barrister.

She said there was a "a laddish environment" and that "capable, intelligent women are treated differently from men".

'Betrayed, but not surprised'

Last month, a separate independent report commissioned by the council concluded Tindall was more likely than not to have "sexually harassed" a councillor who "didn’t feel comfortable being left alone in a room" with him.

Tindall told investigators “I just would not dream of doing that sort of thing”, adding that he “had never used sexual connotations with colleagues”.

In a hearing behind closed doors, the authority's standards committee rejected the findings into his alleged behaviour.

Pringle disclosed the nature of those complaints to the council leadership as part of her role as a whip.

She said her colleagues felt "absolutely betrayed, but not surprised" by the verdict, adding they felt "if they remained within the party then that would be condoning the behaviour".

She told the BBC she witnessed "a complete disregard for the interests of women, particularly women who are being victimised, bullied, harassed and sexually harassed within the party."

A council spokesperson said although the authority understood the complainants were disappointed with the results, it was satisfied all processes and procedures were followed correctly.

It said it had "advised the complainants on the next steps available to them" but "cannot comment" on party political accusations.

Tindall said: “The whole matter about the malicious allegations against me was dealt with by the standards committee and there was no case to answer and neither complaint was upheld.

"What disappoints me is that these individuals, having been elected by voters, chose to follow personal ambitions and not support party objectives.”

Pringle said she had not ruled out a return to the Liberal Democrats one day

Pringle said because elected councillors were volunteers, rather than employees, it was harder to make formal complaints as there was "no mechanism" to do this.

She said that meant women in politics "cannot speak up" if they were "abused or mistreated and bullied".

She said she had requested an independent report from Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey into her complaints.

Although now an independent councillor, Pringle has not ruled out a return to a party she said still had "values she loves".

She said members of the local group had made "a series of errors of judgement through a lack of awareness or lack of training" but hoped the party would see the post-election period as "an ideal moment for self-reflection, rather than doubling down again on the women who have been brave enough to raise this."

The current leader of the council, Liberal Democrat Adrian England, has also been approached for comment.