Councillor’s apology over misconduct
No further action over ‘misconduct’
A SENIOR county councillor has apologised for his ‘misconduct’ over a grant bid worth £15,000 – but an aggrieved community group is disappointed with the council’s response so far.
A bitter split within a children's motorcycle display team in Fareham last year spiralled into Hampshire County Councillor Sean Woodward facing a conduct panel on Wednesday.
The panel unanimously agreed that Cllr Woodward had breached the members’ code, after an independent investigator presented a complex ‘jigsaw’ of ‘ unusual behaviour’ surrounding a £15,000 grant to the Rockets Motorcycle Display Team.
Cllr Woodward began attending shows with the group in 2018, before assisting with a grant application and employing one of the team’s directors, Joanne Bull.
But the grant was withdrawn by the council due to a split within the group, with Ms Bull forming display team Solent Stars – and Cllr Woodward pursuing a similar application made by the new group.
In a Facebook post, Cllr Woodward apologised for ‘a single lapse of judgement’ in his interest in the application.
Speaking to The News, he said: ‘The only reason it stood out to me was because it was a very unusual application — I had never come across a motorbike display team before, and they wanted to buy a lorry.
'I have had no contact with (The Rockets) since June 2019. I am not going into it any further.’
In 2019, The Rockets began to train at Solent Airport, which was also used by a similar and longstanding team, The Tigers.
According to Ms Bull, the working relationship between herself and the other directors ended ‘ very sourly and bitterly’, with a civil court ruling earlier this year that she owed the team more than £300 in petty cash that she had retained since the split.
She said: ‘They had possessions of mine they wouldn’t release back.
‘It did become legal. There is a court order for the return of the cash which is a couple of hundred pounds.’
One of the founding member of The Rockets said they were ‘disappointed’ that the panel recommended no further action be taken against Cllr Woodward.
The director said: '(His Facebook post) leaves you guessing in his favour. If you are dealing with that kind of money, you don't make mistakes.
'We're grateful to the panel – but a bit disappointed that they recommended no further action. In our complaint, the grant is only one bit that Hampshire County Council could investigate.’
I have had no contact with (The Rockets) since June 2019. Councillor Sean Woodward