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16
Sept
Ripon City Council rocked by double resignation bombshell
An explosive extraordinary meeting of Ripon City Council was hit with a double bombshell last night as mayor Jackie Crozier and her deputy, Gary Camplejohn, both resigned with immediate effect from their civic roles.
Amid unprecedented scenes at a packed Ripon Town Hall, there were audible gasps in the council chamber when Councillor Camplejohn read out Councillor Crozier's letter of resignation and followed that announcement with his own resignation as deputy mayor.
Councillor Camplejohn, who chaired the meeting at which the mayor was facing a vote of no confidence for allegedly interfering in staffing matters affecting the council, said:
I am a proud Riponian and Army veteran, who has strong principles of community, integrity, selfless commitment, respect for others and moral courage.
These are all attributes I see in Jackie, along with her drive for making Ripon a welcoming place, whilst still respecting and keeping hold of its historic traditions. This is exactly why I agreed to support her as deputy mayor.
Unfortunately, I had to chair the extraordinary meeting and I am still none the wiser as to why the vote of no confidence was brought forward, even though seven other councillors seemed to have knowledge, despite it being described by the proposers as sensitive and confidential.
Standing room only
Cllr Camplejohn was not alone in questioning why a vote of no confidence had been brought against the mayor.
The council chamber, landing outside the room and stairs leading to it, were full of Ripon residents — the majority of whom came to challenge the decision taken by seven of the council's 12 members.
The council chamber was full to capacity.
Among the dozen local residents who spoke at the meeting was Brian McHugh, who said:
I wholeheartedly support our mayor, Jackie Crozier, who is an excellent councillor and is a fantastic mayor who was voted in with strong support.
There is ample and clear evidence that she is meeting the duties and responsibilities of being the mayor in promoting the city, acting as chair of the council, acting in the ceremonial roles and acting with a professional behaviour and manner at all times.
These are the ideals on how we expect our mayor to behave and uphold, and this is what we have in Jackie Crozier.
Unless there are accusations of financial impropriety which have not been made public, this motion and submission should be firmly rejected, or voted down in its entirety.
Many Ripon residents were unable to get a seat in the council chamber, which has a fire safety limit of 60 people
On medical advice, Cllr Crozier did not attend the meeting, but in the statement read out by Cllr Camplejohn, she said:
It is with deep sadness and disappointment that I tender my resignation as Mayor of the City of Ripon, effective immediately.
I am proud to have served this city as its first out gay female mayor and the youngest woman to hold the position and for a full term acting as deputy to Cllr Hawke in his mayoral year.
Throughout my term, I have acted with a genuine desire to represent Ripon professionally and to work collaboratively with local organisations, community groups, and individuals who make our city such a vibrant and special place. It has been such a pleasure to meet so many people.
As elected members we are all entitled to our opinions with the ability to request a vote of no confidence. It’s our democratic right.
It is a shame that my fellow councillors chose to raise their concerns in such a public and coordinated way, without first seeking private conversation, clarification, or context.
Important matters such as this should be approached with professionalism, transparency, mutual respect and of course, context.
'A damaging message'
Cllr Crozier, who said that she will remain as an independent councillor representing the Spa Ward, added:
These actions do not just reflect poorly on the council, they send a damaging message to the next generation.
If we want to encourage younger people to get involved in public service or to consider roles in community councils, the optics of a public vote of no confidence against a mayor without any attempt at private discussion or hearing the other side, are deeply discouraging.
It does not reflect the values of integrity, maturity, or constructive leadership that we should be modelling. Instead, Ripon has been put on the map for all the wrong reasons.
Councillors Barbara Brodigan (foreground) and Pauline McHardy, were among the seven councillors who called for the vote of no confidence
'We are not homophobic'
Councillor Barbara Brodigan said that she and Councillor Pauline McHardy's actions in calling for the vote of no confidence, along with five fellow councillors, were not in response to the mayor's placement of a Pride flag on the town hall in May to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.
Cllr Brodigan pointed out that both she and Cllr McHardy have close family members who identify as gay and added:
As a Liberal Democrat, I believe strongly in tolerance, equality diversity and fairness in society.
She added:
We are not seeking to replace [Cllr Crozier] as mayor. This motion is about her role as chair of the council.
We believe that the mayor has been acting over and above her role as chair of the council. We have been made aware of actions and behaviours in the council offices and some of these actions and behaviours have taken place in the preseence of employees of Ripon City Council.
They are therefore confidential and cannot be shared.
I must point out that this motion is fact based and not based on anecdotes or hearsay.
Councillor Andrew Williams, responded:
If there are matters in respect of staff, there are appropriate processes in place within this council for grievances to be registered by members of staff and for these to be independently investigated.
They are not supposed to be the subject of a kangaroo court.
At last night's meeting the vote to amend standing orders so that Ripon will no longer have a leader and deputy leader was carried, as was a motion to revoke the scheme of delegation.
However, on advice of Cllr Camplejohn, while he was still in the chair, it was agreed that the proposal to dissolve the current membership of the staffing committee — with the exception of its chair, Cllr Jo Bate (who was not present at last night's meeting) — was withdrawn and will be considered at a future full council meeting.
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