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16
Dec 2022
Long-serving Harrogate councillor banned from becoming honorary alderwoman
Long-serving Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh has been banned from becoming an honorary alderwoman of Harrogate Borough Council following a bitter row about standards in politics.
The borough council has the power to bestow the title of honorary alderman or honorary alderwomen to past members who have given over 15 years of good service to the authority.
With the impending abolition of the council on March 31 to make way for the new North Yorkshire unitary council it means a host of councillors can be considered for the award.
This includes Hookstone ward councillor Pat Marsh who was first elected 33 years ago and is the current leader of the Liberal Democrats on the authority.
However, earlier this year a council standards panel ruled that Cllr Marsh breached its code of conduct after she made comments to a resident, that were secretly recorded, about council leader Richard Cooper, council officers and Cllr Cooper’s employer, Conservative MP for Harrogate & Knaresborough Andrew Jones.
A report concluded that Cllr Marsh “had not treated others with respect” adding “there is a need for council to ensure that they do not undermine trust and confidence with ill-judged and inappropriate statements”.
The panel asked Cllr Marsh to make a public apology.
But Cllr Marsh has refused to say sorry, citing her right to free speech and accusing the panel of not being fairly balanced because it was made up of two Conservative councillors and one Ripon Independent councillor.
‘Honour is key’
At a full meeting of councillors on Wednesday at the Civic Centre in Harrogate, Conservative council leader Richard Cooper proposed changing the council’s constitution to ban councillors from becoming an honorary alderman or alderwoman if they have breached the council’s code of conduct but have then refused to take any of the recommended actions such as apologise to members.
Without directly referring to Cllr Marsh’s case, Cllr Cooper said he himself had made an error this year but had corrected it at the next opportunity and had therefore resolved the matter before it was referred to the standards procedure.
He said:
Harrogate Borough Council offices at Knapping Mount.
Liberal Democrat councillor for Starbeck, Philip Broadbank, who as the longest-serving councillor of 44 years is also eligible to be nominated as an honorary alderman, reeled off a list Cllr Marsh’s achievements during her time as councillor, which included helping the council build the Hydro swimming pool in the late 1990s.
Cllr Broadbank suggested Cllr Cooper’s move to change the constitution was motivated by personal feelings towards Cllr Marsh.
He said:
‘A little bit incensed’
This prompted Conservative councillor for St Georges, Rebecca Burnett, to say she was “a little bit incensed” by Cllr Broadbank’s refusal to back the motion.
She said she had also fallen foul of the standards code in the past but had accepted the panel’s ruling and took its recommended action.
She said:
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Cllr Marsh reiterated her reasons for not apologising, which included the political make-up of the panel.
She said:
Conservative councillor for Ripon Spa and former soldier, Mike Chambers, called on opposition councillors to stop “bickering and arguing”.
He said:
‘Maintaining standards’
Closing the debate, Cllr Cooper quoted sections of the independent report that concluded Cllr Marsh issued an “unwarranted personal attack on the integrity of councillors”.
He said the motion is about “maintaining standards and showing the public we are better than those we criticise in parliament”.
The motion passed by 18 votes to 10 with 4 abstentions. Member for Bishop Monkton and Newby, Nick Brown, was the only Conservative to vote against it.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, Cllr Marsh confirmed that she does not intend to apologise.
She said she felt “sad” that this now means she will not be made an honorary alderwoman of the borough.
She said:
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