Councillor suspended over ‘bullied’ worker case
APLAID Cymru Assembly Member has been temporarily suspended from his role as a Cardiff councillor – after a tribunal found he “bullied” a member of council staff.
Following a two-day hearing, an independent panel yesterday found Neil McEvoy had failed to show respect to a council employee and that his behaviour towards her amounted to “bullying”.
The Adjudication Panel for Wales, sitting in Cardiff, found two breaches proved against Coun McEvoy.
But a third allegation against the leader of the Plaid group on Cardiff Council – claiming he had brought either the office of councillor or Cardiff council as a whole into disrepute – was not found.
He was suspended for one month. However, it is understood he will be able to stand in May’s election.
Plaid Cymru last night said the party would review the decision next week, and that it “expects the very highest standards from our elected representatives”.
The tribunal heard that Deborah Carter had attended an eviction hearing – in her capacity as a Cardiff council finance team member – at Cardiff’s civil justice centre in July 2015. In that hearing, Amanda Williams – a constituent of Coun McEvoy – was told by a judge she was being evicted from her council home after running up £3,700 of arrears.
As Coun McEvoy, Miss Williams, Ms Carter and her council colleague Dale Skinner left the court room, Coun McEvoy said: “I can’t wait for May 2017 when the restructure of the council happens”. He admitted making the comments, but disputed the comments were made as a threat to Ms Carter. He said they were made to Ms Williams in a bid to placate her anger over her eviction. But the panel found against him. Chairwoman Claire Sharp told Coun McEvoy: “We found that you were evasive and that your explanation still remained at points unclear and your explanation wasn’t credible in terms of the timing given you were moving down the corridor.”
The panel said it did not believe the words amounted to harassment but were intended to be heard by Ms Carter and to upset her.
It also said it believed they were “motivated by frustration”.
They were intended by Coun McEvoy to show “the power he could have to both the constituent and Ms Carter should his party be successful in the election”.
Gwydion Hughes, for the ombudsman, said Coun McEvoy had been an evasive witness and was “prone to avoiding the question”.
He said neither of the council employees who gave evidence had “an axe to grind”.
Counsel Jonathan Mendus Edwards, representing Coun McEvoy, said there was no evidence that Plaid Cymru’s cost-cutting policy of sacking senior management related to staff at Ms Carter’s level.
In a statement, Coun McEvoy – who represents the city’s Fairwater ward – described the proceedings as “a farce”.