Wellingborough councillor broke code of conduct with bullying outburst

The Borough Council of Wellingborough's standards committee upheld two complaints against Robert Gough

A councillor who claimed he was bullied by the authority's leader has been found to have breached the council's code of conduct.

Robert Gough was removed from the virtual Borough Council of Wellingborough meeting on 16 June.

Council leader Martin Griffiths said: "I sincerely hope we can put this behind us and move on."

But Mr Gough said he was "justified" in his claims about Mr Griffith during the council meeting.

The authority's standards committee also upheld two complaints against him following an independent investigation.

The Borough Council of Wellingborough will be replaced by the new North Northamptonshire Council unitary authority on 1 April.

Because of this, the standards committee said it was "limited" on what it could impose on independent councillor Mr Gough, and agreed he should be censured for the breaches.

'A distraction'

In the meeting in June, during discussions about a proposed pay rise for Mr Griffiths, Mr Gough attempted to outline the impact on his mental health by what he described as bullying by Mr Griffiths.

He was stopped by other councillors who said correct procedures were not being followed and he was removed from the meeting.

Council leader Martin Griffiths said Robert Gough "fell short of the conduct and behaviour expected of a councillor"

Conservative Mr Griffith said he been "conscious of our duty of care to" Mr Gough and the council had offered him support.

But he said the "episode has been a distraction with a result that has benefitted no-one".

He said Mr Gough's "outburst" in the meeting was "a blatant attempt to confer a disadvantage on another member and bring this council into disrepute".

"The past 12 months have been very challenging for us all, including my own family," he added.

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Mr Gough said he "stood by everything he said" in the June meeting and he "would be prepared to say it again".

He was previously a Conservative councillor, but had the whip removed by the authority's Conservative group and was suspended by his local Conservative Association in Daventry.