Bournemouth to review processes for member conduct investigations

Bournemouth Council is to hold a review of how it conducts investigations into members’ conduct. The move follows the recent resignation of its leader, Cllr Stephen MacLoughlin, after pornography was found on his laptop during a routine service in January 2009.

A subsequent inquiry led to no further action being taken on the basis that MacLoughlin was not acting as a councillor at the time, but he resigned in July this year as leader “to draw a line” under what had happened.

Bournemouth is understood to have spent £17,522 on the investigation. This included £9,000 for an independent investigator, £3,000 on legal fees and £5,580 for the deputy monitoring officer’s time.

The local authority’s four group leaders – representing all 54 councillors – have now called for a special audit and governance committee to be convened.

The committee will be tasked with reviewing “the processes that govern decision-making when handling issues relating to members’ conduct”. However, it will not scrutinise the decision taken by the standards hearing sub-committee.

Cllr Peter Charon, leader of Bournemouth Council and of the Conservative Group, acknowledged that the local authority’s reputation had suffered.

He said: “Our residents, staff and councillors have every right to know how decisions were made, by whom and why. The audit and governance committee will be asked to make recommendations that ensure the council has clear written protocols and procedures in place to deal with any potential member conduct issues so that, in future, people know what to do, who should do it, how and when.”

Charon said the group leaders at the council would work together to implement the committee’s recommendations. “It will mean that our residents can be clear on how matters are considered, resolved and reported,” he added.