Councillor's plea after bullying claims probed

NEWCASTLE'S opposition leader says greater transparency is needed to give the public confidence in the city council, after a bullying investigation.

- DANIEL HOLLAND

It was confirmed last week that Nick Kemp, the former Labour leader of Newcastle City Council, had been cleared of breaching the authority's code of conduct following a lengthy probe into a bullying complaint made against him by a senior director.

But The Journal subsequently revealed that the inquiry, conducted by law firm Bevan Brittan, concluded that “more could have been done” by the city council to deal with Michelle Percy’s concerns earlier.

Details of the investigation, which found that Coun Kemp “could certainly have conducted himself in a less confrontational and aggressive manner” but did not engage in personal attacks, emerged after long-running concerns about the wider culture at the Civic Centre.

Colin Ferguson, who leads the council's Lib Dem opposition, has now demanded that the confidential report be released to members of the authority's audit and standards committee for further scrutiny.