Colerne councillor accused of bullying over parking row

Dr Clarke did not have the support of the council before he used its name on the notes issued to cars parked in Market Place

A parish council chairman has issued an "unreserved apology" after being accused of using his position to "bully" residents over a parking row.

Dr Tony Clarke placed letters falsely claiming to be from the parish council on cars parked in Colerne, Wiltshire.

He admitted it was an "error" to use the council's name on the warnings without asking permission from members.

A resident who made a formal complaint said Dr Clarke had "blatantly misused his position" to "bully" residents.

Dr Clarke said he issued the notes because he was "concerned about motorists ignoring the parking restrictions in the Market Place".

He made his apology on the Colerne Parish Council website and on Facebook, saying he had "acted inappropriately and the village should expect better", the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

'Fundamental error'

"I left flyers on the windscreen of overlong parkers, warning of the risk of being fined by Wiltshire Council traffic wardens and also forcing visiting drivers to illegally park and then getting a ticket," Dr Clarke said.

"I made a fundamental error, for which I made an unreserved apology, that of putting the flyer on the headed paper of the parish council, without having the other councillors agreeing to the use of this paper at a full council meeting," he said.  

A resident complained to Wiltshire Council that Dr Clarke had "blatantly misused his position on the council to add weight and legitimacy to his own bullying campaign upon members of the parish".

The council investigated, but took no further action after Dr Clarke issued a public apology. 

Dr Clarke is a former deputy mayor of Bath and was also Bath and North East Somerset Council cabinet member for transport until he resigned from the post in 2017.