Councillors demand clarity from bullying investigation findings

TRANSPARENCY WANTED OVER THE OUTCOME OF A COMPLAINT MADE AGAINST FORMER CITY LEADER

- By DANIEL HOLLAND

NEWCASTLE politicians who sit on a standards watchdog have united in a call for transparency over a bullying investigation into a former council leader. A cross-party group of councillors has issued a plea for clarity on the findings of a lengthy inquiry into a complaint made against former Newcastle City Council leader Nick Kemp.

A law firm's investigation into the accusations, made by ex-council director Michelle Percy, has now been finalised and handed to local authority officials. However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that councillors have concerns that the full, detailed conclusions could be withheld from them and the wider public.

Members of the council's audit and standards committee, from both Newcastle’s ruling Labour group and the Lib Dem opposition, told the LDRS that the report deserves “full scrutiny” in order to give confidence to elected politicians, council employees and residents about how the city is governed.