City councillor is sanctioned

Complaints over ‘fascist’ comment and use of data

A Peterborough city councillor has been condemned in his absence for accusing another member of showing “fascist tendencies” and misuse of private information.

In March 2018 Cllr Darren Fower (Labour member for Gunthorpe) had a letter published in the Peterborough Telegraph where he criticised the decision of Cllr John Fox to close the public gallery in the Council Chamber during meetings.

Cllr Fox, who at the time was Mayor of Peterborough, had closed the gallery on the advice of the police and legal officers, due to safety concerns following protests against Cllr Andy Coles over his undercover spy past.

But Cllr Fower wrote: “We should not be barred and such fascist tendencies need to end now.”

Leader of the council, Cllr John Holdich also alleged that Cllr Fower improperly used personal information provided by those who had signed an online petition that called for the re-opening of the gallery.

It was alleged Cllr Fower used the names and addresses gathered in that petition to generate emails to the council’s chief executive Gillian Beasley, Cllr Holdich and Cllr Fox without the signatories’ knowledge or permission.

Cllr Fower had been approached personally and contacted 37 times in the months following the incidents by the council’s director of governance and monitoring, Fiona McMillan, who had given him the opportunity to apologise to Cllr Fox in order to placate the matter. However, Cllr Fower refused to apologise so the matter was then investigated by an external monitoring body. The findings were discussed at Monday’s Constitution & Ethics Sub-Committee, which concluded that Cllr Fower has breached the council’s Code of Conduct on two counts.

Cllr John Fox told the committee: “As a former member of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces I took particular offence at the use of that word (fascist), and everything that its connotation advocates.”

Committee chair Cllr David Seaton said: “It is deeply disturbing that Cllr Fower has elected not to be here today to represent himself, but that is his right.”

Four sanctions will now be imposed on Cllr Fower:

. He will be asked to formally apologise to Cllr Fox

. He will undergo data protection training

. The findings will be published in full on the council’s website

. A censure report will completed and filed.

Darren Fower