'Entirely inappropriate' Councillor followed woman into hotel room

A COUNCILLOR who was head of Avon Fire Authority (AFA) has been ordered to undergo training in equalities and professional boundaries after calling a female employee "stunning" and following her into a hotel room at an awards night.

- Adam POSTANS Local Democracy Reporter [e-mail]

Councillor Ben Nutland, former chair of the Avon Fire Authority

Cllr Ben Nutland was found to have breached South Gloucestershire Council's member code of conduct by a standards subcommittee.

The decision in November follows a similar ruling by an AFA panel in the summer. But Cllr Nutland, who was a Lib Dem councillor for Yate North - now an independent - and the fire authority's chairman at the time of the incident in Bristol city centre in November 2024, has hit back, saying he was prevented from presenting his evidence at the South Gloucestershire hearing.

He has since resigned from the AFA.

A decision notice of the panel, which met behind closed doors, said he "acted in a manner which was offensive and humiliating toward Employee 1 and caused her to be very uncomfortable" by asking her to "go upstairs" with him and then taking off his shoes and jacket and getting onto her bed.

The report said the woman asked him to leave and that "he did so without making any physical contact with her".

But it said Cllr Nutland also then tried twice to get another female member of Avon Fire and Rescue Service staff to dance with him "despite being clearly told she did not want to".