Councillor: I only said ‘shoot all the geese’ as a joke
ABURSCOUGH parish councillor is facing a disciplinary hearing after saying he would “shoot all the pink-footed geese” at Martin Mere.
Cllr Roger Bell used the phrase several times while in a meeting with Nick Brooks, the manager of the wetland centre, an investigation has revealed.
He is now facing disciplinary charges over whether his behaviour brought the parish council into disrepute and whether his behaviour at a separate council meeting, held in July last year, should be considered to be intimidating or bullying.
Both meetings are said to have become heated when the issue of branding Burscough was discussed.
According to the reports from the preliminary investigation, Mr Brooks had put forward proposals for Burscough to be known as the “Home of the Whooping Swan”, in relation to a breed of bird which migrates to Martin Mere. Cllr Bell is said to have been very unhappy with this proposal, saying that such a claim was misleading and not unique to Burscough.
It is then alleged the councillor became agitated in both meetings, even shouting “f***ing hell” and walking out of the parish council meeting.
Despite admitting saying that, if it was up to him, he would “bloody shoot all the pink-footed geese”, Cllr Bell, who has also served on West Lancs Borough Council, says he was only ever joking and denies being aggressive or intimidating.
He said: “On the matter of threatening to shoot geese, perhaps this is a case of attempted humour going wrong.
“There are quite a lot of people in Burscough who have been saying this for some years.
“Indeed, someone sent me a link to a website advertising shooting trips.
“Anyone who knows me at all knows I am a strong supporter of animal welfare, and totally against all forms of hunting.”
The disciplinary hearing will be held at 10am on Friday next week and will determine whether Cllr Bell broke any rules and, if so, what action should be taken.