A strengthened code of conduct for Cambridgeshire County Council was approved on the day, coincidentally, a former Conservative leader of the council Nick Clarke felt the full weight of sanctions imposed by a neighbouring council. Cllr Clarke, a West Suffolk councillor for Clare since 2021, and Cllr Andy Drummond, who represents Herringswell and Red Lodge on the council, were found to have breached six codes each.
They were found guilty of bullying, revealing confidential information, using their positions to the advantage or disadvantage of themselves or anyone else, and bringing the council into disrepute.
Separate charges against Cllr Clarke, who represents Clare, covered harassment and failure to treat the public with respect whilst Cllr Drummond was found to have discriminated unlawfully against someone.
And it wasn’t just the council that handed out the sanctions – calling for apologies and publication of the standards committee findings.
The Tory group also reacted by removing Cllr Clarke from his role as leader and the post he had held for just over a year.
Labour leader, Cllr Cliff Waterman, told the BBC: “We expect the very highest standards from all our councillors.
“Our residents elect us and they expect us to behave well.
“We have seen over recent years a deterioration in the behaviour of some elected representatives in public life.”
“My advice to [Mr Clarke] would have been to apologise and move on, but he has made the situation worse.”
Meanwhile Cambridgeshire County Council agreed at its meeting to adopt the Local Government Association’s (LGA) model of conduct which they were told “is to assist councillors in modelling the behaviour expected of them”.
It also provides “a personal check and balance” and sets out the type of conduct against which appropriate action may be taken.
The code was ‘signed off’ by the council but not before Conservative councillor Samantha Hoy of Wisbech had weighed in with criticism of it.
Speaking of the code of conduct she said that “I think there is sometimes a limited point to it.
“I know it’s going to get passed and I know it’s the LGA and I know there are Conservatives on the LGA so I’m not blaming anyone because they could have made these points as well.
She added: “But I always think it’s silly to put in a policy that you then can’t really ever enforce.
“So, one of the changes that’s going to be made is to say that you have to comply with the code of conduct.”
Why bother seems attitude of Cllr @SamanthaHoy to plans by @CambsCC to strengthen code of conduct. Unfortunately Cllr Hoy is from Fenland where the conduct committee has given up meeting since no one ever breaks code of conduct. I should add of course lol lol lol pic.twitter.com/7untZODsCO
— John Elworthy (@johnelworthy) July 16, 2024
She used as an example of saying something to a fellow councillor who objected and filed a complaint “and I have to apologise.
“And I say I’m not going to apologize I will now be in breach of the code of conduct.
“However, like what does that matter.
“In some ways I don’t mean that to be like disrespectful, but I could be like okay well I accept that I’ve broken the code of conduct and I’m not going to apologize to the councillor, and I’ve broken it again.
“And then you just get in a perpetuating circle of being told to do something and not doing it.
“I get that it’s the LGA and it’s not us – I’m not kind of casting aspersions on anyone but it does seem a bit of a strange policy change.”
Council chairman Sebastian Kindersley said: “Thank you for drawing that to our attention Councillor Hoy.”
FACT FILE
In 2009 Cllr Nick Clarke was elected as a Cambridgeshire County Councillor in a marginal division on the fringe of Cambridge. In 2011 he became Leader of the council.
He was a founding non-executive director of the Cambridge and Counties Bank jointly owned with a Cambridge college and led on its formation.
“During my time as Leader I constructively challenged the status quo resulting in reduced costs, less bureaucracy, more member involvement and better outcomes for the public,” he says.
“I instigated and led on the Cambridge North rail station, the Kings Dyke rail crossing, the Ely southern bypass and £20m investment in broadband. I took my cabinet to Wisbech and St Neots to make it more accessible to the public, first time ever out of Shire Hall.”
In 2013 he lost his Fulbourn seat on Cambridgeshire County Council and said afterwards that the fact he lived 12 miles away from his ward contributed to him losing his seat.
It was the year Conservatives lost overall control of the council this month.
Cllr Clarke later joined UKIP and stood as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire.
