A belated sort-of apology from Councillor Bailey
By: Francis Harris, Tunbridge Wells Life
Tags: Tunbridge Wells, Bullying, Local Government, Council

Tunbridge Wells council — home to a culture of bullying

More than 10 weeks after he was rebuked for publicising my family address on social media, Conservative councillor Matthew Bailey has emailed an apology. Of sorts.

Mr Bailey was instructed by the council’s independent inquiry to apologise and take social media training after his “offensive” behaviour on twitter. He initially refused to do so, calling my complaint “politically motivated”. As the dispute deepened, he was promoted to the council cabinet by Conservative leader Alan McDermott.

His post was the culmination of 18 months of abusive comments as Cllr Bailey emerged as the aggressive face of the £108m theatre debacle. The project was halted last year, despite Cllrs Bailey and McDermott voting in favour.

Mr Bailey’s email said: “Without going in to the specifics of your complaint, I have never set out to cause offence on social media. If this has happened at any time then I sincerely apologise.”

I replied to Mr Bailey, saying I accepted his apology, but: “It would have been nice if you acknowledged (as you do not) that posting a resident’s family address on social media is an appalling failure of judgement and that it may be frightening for my wife and children. Saying that you’ve never set out to cause offence seems a little insensitive (and the independent inquiry did state that your behaviour was ‘offensive’.)

“Still, I very much hope that the social media training will help you to understand these issues and that you will learn that residents should be treated with respect, even when you disagree with them.”

Councillors led by Conservative David Reilly and Tunbridge Wells Alliance’s David Hayward have criticised both the behaviour of council leaders on social media and the culture of bullying that has long characterised the body’s internal workings. Councillor Dr Linda Hall told a solemn council meeting last month that a vindictive campaign by the Kent & Sussex Courier and resultant vicious attacks by fellow councillors led her to suffer a stroke.

While she was recovering, a fellow councillor was reported to have said: “Thank God we have got rid of that f****** woman. She’ll never come back now.”

Councillors say privately that the behaviour of Cllr Bailey and other leading Conservatives is revolting, but are prevented from naming the worst offenders at meetings because council lawyers and officers insist that their identities should be kept secret.

(For example, council lawyers told me that I should not publicise the decision against Mr Bailey, citing a duty of confidentiality that I had not accepted).

The current system is slow and lacks effective sanctions, like suspension or public rebukes.

Councillors have now agreed to work on a new system. Consultations with political group leaders and members will be followed by proposals to amend the council’s constitution. It is unclear whether the changes will lead to genuinely tough sanctions against councillors.

During December’s debate on bullying, Councillor Reilly described an appalling atmosphere within the council, under the leadership of both McDermott and his predecessor, David Jukes.

Reilly said: “I have witnessed certain councillors being bullied because they are opposed to certain proposals or projects. In private group meetings, they have been shouted at and even in council meetings held in public, the intimidation has taken the form of sneering at questions and opinions, with other members laughing and mocking the target of the bullying.

“Removal of members from committees has been used to punish dissent, while the spreading of malicious rumours appears mendacious. This has got to stop.”