Serious concerns have been raised over the handling of a bullying complaint against Forest of Dean District Councillor Philip Burford, after the investigation cost taxpayers more than £62,000.
Councillors recently reviewed the code of conduct process following the conclusion of a lengthy and complex complaint. Councillor Burford, an Independent representing Hartpury and Redmarley, was censured in December and banned from committees for three years due to behaviour deemed as bullying that caused significant distress to staff.
The complaint, initially lodged in March 2023, took over two years to resolve and resulted in expenses totaling £62,565. Of this, £43,868.25 was spent on a private investigation led by Barbara Beardwell, while legal advice from a barrister cost £14,075. Additional legal fees amounted to £2,857.50, training costs for the standards panel members were £1,464.85, and the panel itself incurred £300 in expenses.
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Nigel Brinn, Chief Executive and deputy monitoring officer appointed midway through the process, addressed the Audit and Governance Committee on March 25. He explained the original monitoring officer, Sian Roxborough, recused herself due to a conflict of interest, which led to appointing an external investigator. Brinn suggested that in future cases, internal resources like the counter fraud unit should be considered before seeking costly external support. Emphasizing the need for better project management, he urged tighter control over investigation costs going forward.
Councillors questioned who approved the costly external investigation. It was revealed the former monitoring officer made the decision after consulting with the council’s independent person and informing the Chief Finance Officer. However, no cost limit had been set, leading to an “open-ended” expense.
Concerns were also raised regarding the conflicted monitoring officer’s involvement after recusal. Chairman Harry Ives highlighted that the monitoring officer remained involved in handling the complaint five more times, including reviewing and commenting on the draft investigator’s report — action deemed inappropriate and a conflict of interest.
Ives criticized the decision to bypass internal departments like the counter fraud unit, suggesting this step significantly increased the investigation’s cost. Brinn acknowledged the monitoring officer should have fully stepped back to ensure fairness and transparency but emphasized that a legal review confirmed the process was ultimately compliant.
Councillor Trevor Roach expressed alarm at the prolonged timeline. The bullying reportedly began in 2015, but no action was initiated until 2023, an eight-year delay that exacerbated workplace tensions. Roach stressed the need for officers to receive training enabling them to recognize and report bullying sooner. He questioned why it took so long for formal proceedings to start, especially since the council’s constitution requires complaints to be filed within three months, except in exceptional cases such as harassment.
Roach noted that Councillor Burford had often claimed events were too far in the past to remember, complicating the investigation. He asked what lessons had been learned to prevent such delays in the future, pointing to the emotional toll on staff caused by the drawn-out process.
Brinn acknowledged that bullying and harassment cases tend to emerge gradually, making early detection difficult. He emphasized that quicker resolutions benefit everyone by reducing costs and reliance on fading memories. Despite the complexity and multiple complainants involved in this case, most member complaints are resolved confidentially and promptly.
The committee concluded that due process had been followed despite the high financial cost. Recommendations were made to improve future handling, including ensuring any recused monitoring officer has no further involvement, providing biannual training for councillors and officers, exhausting all internal avenues before hiring external investigators, and applying strict project management to control costs.
Councillor Burford declined to comment on the matter.