Report finds Pendles Cllr David Whipp breached code of conduct

The report said leading Liberal Democrat councilor David Whipp shouted and waved papers at Conservative councilor Ash Sutcliffe.

Cllr Whipp was found to have breached Pendle Council’s code of conduct in his behavior towards Cllr Sutcliffe, as his physical actions and gestures as well as his “angry and raised voice” breached the council’s code of conduct.

Now Pendle Council’s standards hearing committee will consider its response at a meeting on Monday, October 28, at Nelson Town Hall from 7pm.

Cllr Sutcliffe made his complaint last year, accusing Cllr Whipp of “intimidating and derogatory” behavior at a Pendle Council executive meeting in July 2023 at Nelson Town Hall.

Cllr David Whipp’s behavior was “unpleasant and intimidating”, the report said It was alleged Cllr Whipp shook large A3 sheets of paper very close to Cllr Sutcliffe’s face, shouting: “Can’t you read?” Can’t you read what you did?” and: “The Conservative government did that.”

This comes from the report by Sue Ward, an independent investigator from an organization called MIAA, which works for Pendle Council.

In her report, Ms Ward states that there were 18 potential witnesses to the alleged incident, including councilors and Pendle officials, but many of whom did not give evidence for one reason or another.

However, among those who did so were three Conservative councilors – Ash Sutcliffe, Nadeem Ahmed and Martyn Stone – and the council’s chief executive, Rose Rouse.

The incident occurred when Cllr Whipp raised concerns about a delay in publishing a report by Pendle Leisure Trust and said some words on page three of the report.

Tory Ash Sutcliffe reported the council’s deputy leader It said: “The council has recognized that it cannot afford to retain and refurbish/replace all three facilities and that it needs to consider its options for the future.”

Cllr Whipp had concerns about confusion over different dates and versions of the leisure report, the timing of their publication, sufficient time to notify other council committees and the impact of voting restrictions, the report said.

He also believed the wording of the leisure report suggested that the previous Conservative government at Pendle Council had informed some consultants that they wanted to close one or two of the borough’s leisure centres.

However, Conservatives including Cllr Sutcliffe, who attended the board meeting as observers, said this was incorrect. According to the investigation, Cllr Whipp began shouting and waving papers as Cllr Sutcliffe spoke.

Cllr Whipp did not take part in the inquiry, the report said, although he may have the opportunity to speak at next week’s meeting.

Concluding, Ms Ward said: “The allegation made against Cllr David Whipp that he breached the code of conduct by disrespecting Cllr Ash Sutcliffe can be considered substantiated.”

“Three witness statements from two councilors and a council officer provide evidence to support the validity of Cllr Sutcliffe’s claims.”

It recommends that Pendle Council take the next stage of dealing with suspected breaches of the code of conduct.