Board members of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority will be asked to approve recommendations that would ban a Conservative councillor from membership of any committee for a year.
The board, at its meeting on March 19, will be asked if they agree to the findings of an audit and governance subcommittee that held a code a code of conduct into allegations against Cllr Steve Tierney of Wisbech.
The complaint was made by Mayor Dr Nik Johnson and the panel found Cllr Tierney breached the Combined Authority’s code by failing to treat Mayor Johnson with civility through social media posts. The panel determined that his comments, particularly referencing “calling out predators and bullies,” were abusive and unsubstantiated.
The subcommittee agreed to ask the board to remove Cllr Tierney as a substitute member of the overview and scrutiny committee.
And for the Combined Authority chief executive Rob Bridge to write to Fenland District Council requesting that Cllr Tierney should not be considered for any Combined Authority position until the 2026/27 municipal year,
John Pye, chair of the hearing panel, will tell the board: “There is no right of appeal to this decision which is final in accordance with the authority’s procedure set out in its constitution.
“The panel unanimously agreed with the representations of the Investigating officer that the comments which breached the code amounted to excessive personal abuse, given their seriousness and that they were not substantiated by any findings or evidence.
“The panel concluded that any interference with Cllr Tierney’s rights was lawful, justified and proportionate given the sanctions available.”
In his complaint, Mayor Johnson initially highlighted the following two comments that Cllr Tierney had posted to his ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) account: a: The apologists are out in force though, defending the indefensible. Just shows they could not care less about behaviour, only about pushing their own agenda.
b: Keep up the good work @AnnaBailey_Ely and @SamanthaHoy at calling out predators and bullies. Some will give cover for the worst; others aren’t afraid to challenge. Well done.
c There’s a certain sort of man who is very brave when trying to intimidate ladies, but a total weakling in the face of another man. Its (sic) really quite pathetic.
D: The way I see it, the sort of “man” who needs a “henchman” isn’t a man at all. Weak weak weak.
Cllr Tierney did not attend the hearing. He had been advised of the date and arrangements via email.
“Throughout the process the authority has used Cllr Tierney’s Fenland District Council email address,” says a report to the board.
“In the past Cllr Tierney had suggested that people contact him at a non-business address. The Monitoring Officer explained that the authority does not send confidential information to private email addresses and there was no reason provided why Cllr Tierney could not use his official email address.
“The Legal Adviser also explained that the Deputy Monitoring Officer had made a number of attempts to contact Cllr Tierney by telephone to discuss the hearing and had left a voicemail message, but he had not responded.”
The panel decided unanimously that Cllr Tierney had been given every reasonable opportunity to participate in the process and all reasonable steps had been taken to notify him of the hearing date.
The panel expressed its disappointment that Cllr Tierney had failed to engage constructively with the investigation and agreed that the hearing should proceed in his absence.
Cllr Steve Tierney (right) breached the Combined Authority’s code by failing to treat Mayor Nik Johnson with civility through social media posts. A panel determined that his comments, particularly referencing “calling out predators and bullies,” were abusive and unsubstantiated.The report says that shortly before the conclusion of the hearing Cllr Tierney emailed the Deputy Monitoring Authority. The email was brought to the attention of the panel. The panel noted that Cllr Tierney stated that he was not aware of the hearing but that he would not have attended, even if he had been.
“The panel maintained its decision that Cllr Tierney had been given every reasonable opportunity to attend,” the report concluded.
Key Findings
- The Audit & Governance Sub-Committee Hearing Panel met on 28 January 2025 to review an independent investigation into a Code of Conduct complaint against Councillor Steve Tierney.
- The complaint, raised by Mayor Dr. Nik Johnson, concerned comments Tierney made on social media.
- The panel found that Tierney’s comments, specifically regarding “defending the indefensible” and “calling out predators and bullies,” breached the Code of Conduct’s requirement for civility.
- The panel concluded that Tierney’s comments were abusive and lacked evidence, particularly the reference to the Mayor as a “predator.”
- Recommendations from the Panel
The Panel proposed the following:
- Publication of Findings: The findings of the Panel should be publicly released.
- Removal from Consideration for Authority Positions:
- The Board should ask Fenland District Council to remove Tierney as a substitute member of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
- He should not be considered for any Combined Authority position until the 2026/27 municipal year.
- Clarity on Members’ Roles & Social Media Use:
- The Board should consider improving guidance on the role of members, particularly regarding social media conduct.
- The Monitoring Officer could update training materials for elected members.
- The Audit & Governance Committee could review and update the social media protocol for all Combined Authority members.
- Board’s Decision-Making Role
- The Board does not have the power to directly remove Tierney from his role but can recommend that Fenland District Council withdraw their nomination.
- The Board must decide whether to accept or reject the recommendations regarding:
- Tierney’s future eligibility for Combined Authority roles.
- Improving social media guidelines for elected members.
- Legal and Financial Considerations
- Legal Framework: The process follows the Localism Act 2011, which governs the ethical conduct of elected members. The Audit & Governance Committee acts as the Standards Committee, responsible for reviewing Code of Conduct breaches.
- Financial Impact: Costs associated with the report and subsequent actions will be covered by existing budgets under the Monitoring Officer.
- Next Steps
- If approved, the Monitoring Officer will communicate the board’s decision to Fenland District Council.
- The Board may instruct the Audit & Governance Committee to review and update the social media policy for members.
