Jolene Bunting asked Paul Golding to cover £545 penalty, watchdog hears

Jolene Bunting is a former independent unionist councillor at Belfast City Council

Details of a financial dispute between a former Belfast City councillor and Britain First have emerged during an adjudication hearing of NI's local government watchdog. 

Jolene Bunting is being investigated by the Local Government Commissioner for Standards.

It follows a complaint from Paul Golding, the leader of Britain First.

Mr Golding alleges Ms Bunting asked him to cover the cost of a £545 penalty she received from the council in 2018.

It followed a stunt at City Hall with Britain First's then deputy leader Jayda Fransen.

However, the adjudication heard that while Ms Bunting did have £545 deducted from her monthly council allowance, the deduction was because she had exceeded the contracted data usage on her council mobile phone - not because of Britain First. 

Ms Bunting, a former independent unionist councillor who declined to participate in the hearing, denies that she asked Mr Golding for money because of the stunt in City Hall.

The adjudication heard that Ms Bunting previously told investigators that she believed Mr Golding was sending her money because she had agreed to let Britain First use her home address as a PO box.

Mr Golding disputed this.

He told the hearing that Ms Bunting had phoned him in June 2018 informing him that she had been fined by the council "as a punishment for when Jayda Fransen sat in the lord mayor's chair in January".

He added: "She said: 'I can't afford to pay that'.

"I said: 'Don't worry, this was a Britain First publicity stunt' and we would pay it."

Mr Golding told the hearing that he informed Ms Bunting that he would need proof of the penalty for his records and that she sent him a copy of her payslip.

He said he decided to pay her in instalments, sending her £50 and then £65.

It was later, following a falling out with Ms Bunting, that he had been prompted to look again at the payslip.

"And that's when I realised we'd been had," he told the hearing.

Mr Golding said the slip that he was sent appeared to have been "tampered with" to omit the reason for the deduction, which was stated on the original payslip as "member's phone repayments". 

In an earlier interview with the watchdog, Ms Bunting denied that she had altered the payslip.

The assistant commissioner for standards is to consider whether or not Ms Bunting breached the council's code of conduct in the matter.

The hearing continues.