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24
Nov
Sid Hawke survives on another stormy night at Ripon City Council
An attempt to oust Councillor Sid Hawke from Ripon City Council failed at another acrimonious meeting tonight (November 24).
The extraordinary meeting heard private voicemails played, claims that Cllr Hawke had described fellow councillors as “bastards” and the mayor, Cllr Barbara Brodigan, branded “Ripon’s version of Liz Truss” by her arch-rival Cllr Andrew Williams.
The council gathered to consider legal advice from NALC, the National Association of Local Councils, on whether Cllr Hawke — who plays Father Christmas in Ripon Market Place each year — had resigned.
Cllr Brodigan claimed Cllr Hawke submitted a resignation letter she helped him write; he claimed he never signed it and did not resign.
The issue was due to be heard in private, but in a sign of the change of power since last week’s Ure Bank by-election, Cllr Williams won a vote on it being heard in public.
The extraordinary meeting on November 24.
It didn’t take long for the deep divisions to emerge.
Cllr Julie Ann Martin-Long, an unaligned independent, said Cllr Hawke told her he was going to resign and make allegations against former leader Cllr Williams and his supporters
Cllr Martin-Long said:
He said to me: ‘I am going to ask Babs to help me write it. I’m not good at this stuff. I’m going to read it out in full council and chuck them under the bus in public. The bastards.’ I am satisfied it was his intention to resign and therefore it should stand.
'Betrayed everyone'
Cllr Pauline McHardy, a Liberal Democrat, claimed Cllr Hawke had instigated moves to remove Cllr Jackie Crozier as mayor and had “betrayed just about everyone around this table”.
She said he was “not fit to sit on this council table and he isn’t working in the best interest of this city”.
Cllr Hawke, who left the room during the debate, does not deny he met Cllr Brodigan to discuss resigning but claims he never went through with it. Instead, he did a U-turn to return to the Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group led by Cllr Williams — a decision that played a major part in Lib Dem Cllr Brodigan losing her narrow majority on the council.
Cllr Williams played a voicemail from Cllr Brodigan to Cllr Hawke in which she told him she was disgusted that he had betrayed her and would never trust him again.
Referring to the resignation letter, Cllr Williams said Cllr Hawke “didn’t write it, didn’t authorise it and didn’t sign it”. He said Cllr Brodigan had delivered an unsigned document to locum clerk Adam Chugg, and told her:
This was a malicious act of a woman scorned. The document received is not Cllr Hawke’s, it was written by you.
I had hoped we might as a council start looking outwards rather than inwards. Like many residents I’m fed up that yet again our main item of business is more of the chaos that’s unleashed on this council by Ripon’s version of Liz Truss.
Cllr Hawke as Father Christmas
'Dirty work'
Cllr Williams went on to praise Cllr Hawke for volunteering to be Father Christmas. “That’s the calibre of the individual that I’m quite happy to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with,” he said.
Cllr Crozier said Cllrs Brodigan and McHardy had called for the vote of no confidence against her as mayor — not Cllr Hawke. Cllr McHardy said that was because he wanted them to do the dirty work for him.
Cllr Brodigan said the advice from NALC was that Cllr Hawke’s resignation was ‘genuine and valid’. She added:
A false allegation of fraud is not a trivial matter. It was an attempt to damage my name and undermine my personal, professional and political integrity.
Cllr Hawke’s actions constitute a breach of Ripon City Council’s code of conduct and the Nolan Principles. His behaviour has shown dishonesty, disrespect and a clear lack of integrity. Those values are not optional. They are the foundation of public service. If we continue to accept Cllr Hawke as a councillor, we send a message to the electorate of Ure Bank that these standards no longer matter.
Cllr Hawke between Cllrs Crozier (left) and Camplejohn at the meeting on November 24.
However, the motion to accept the advice and act against Cllr Hawke was voted down. By contrast, Cllr William's' proposal resolving “not to accept the document presented as a resignation letter from Cllr Hawke and notes that it was written by Cllr Brodigan, and the council censures Cllr Brodigan for her conduct in this matter in seeking to remove a democratically elected councillor from office” was supported.
Cllr Gary Camplejohn went further by saying the council should invite the mayor to consider her position, but Mr Chugg did not allow a vote on this.
Some members of the public applauded Cllr Hawke as he returned to the chamber.
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