A PARISH councillor has spoken out on the sanctions imposed over 'bullying claims' upheld against her by Bucks Council.
Hughenden Parish councillor Linda Derrick has been reprimanded for reportedly breaking the code of conduct on numerous occasions including making unreasonable demands to an officer to see documentation, and posting online blog comments in criticism of the same employee.
The councillor was also pulled up on 'failing to treat a council officer with respect' and actions that were 'bullying in nature, given the distress caused'.
This week, Hughenden Parish Council agreed to impose the sanction recommended by Bucks Council including being told to make a written apology and being banned from Parish Council premises except for formal meetings until she has undertaken training.
READ MORE on the incidents and sanctions imposed here
However, the councillor has now hit back at the 'Alice in Wonderland' nature of processes at Hughenden Parish Council (HPC) and withdrawn her efforts to 'carry out any work in support of the council as a corporate body'.
In a statement, the councillor said: "Bucks Council (BC) recommended to Hughenden Parish Council that HPC censure and sanction me because BC concluded I had breached HPC’s Code of Conduct.
"HPC’s Code of Conduct requires councillors, when taking decisions, “to pay due regard to the advice of officers” including Bucks Council’s Monitoring Officer. However councillors are specifically required “to attach appropriate weight to all relevant considerations”. This would include my response to the complaints, public opinion and councillors’ own direct experience of events.
"Most importantly, councillors under the Code are required “to exercise their own independent judgement.”.
"However, HPC decided, by a majority, that “It was not open to the Parish Council to “reach any different conclusions about [BC’s investigation]” or “determine other sanctions to those recommended by [BC’s] Sub-Committee.”
"In other words HPC decided it had no option except to agree the conclusions of Bucks Council. Since when did parish councillors decide to rubber stamp the recommendations of Bucks Council without question?
"Clearly a majority of HPC’s councillors decided not to exercise their own independent judgement; they therefore breached HPC’s Code of Conduct."
Councillor Derrick went on to call the parish council an 'Alice in Wonderland' and claimed the move was 'self-harming ' for the council.
Adding: "I will continue to represent my constituents on Hughenden Parish Council and will continue to help and support them. However, I will no longer carry out any work in support of the Council as a corporate body.
All a majority of HPC councillors have done is deprive the Council of the services of one of the few councillors on the Council (me) who has been actively working to support the Council.
"That’s what I call self-harm."
She concluded: "I am lucky. I have a supportive family who are outraged at what has happened to me. I never wanted to be a parish councillor and I will now just turn up for Council meetings like the majority of other councillors on HPC.
"But I will continue to make HPC’s actions public, including when it acts unlawfully and wastes taxpayers’ money.
"I will survive. But will HPC?"
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