Summons issued over Council controversy
November 15, 2023
By Rachel Williams
The Board of Inquiry investigating the Dorset Council for alleged breaches of the Local Government Act has issued 20 notices for witnesses to appear at a hearing in Launceston, starting next week.
A number of councillors from the most recent Council, as well as former councillors, were personally delivered a summons to appear before the board.
One summons letter, seen by the North-Eastern Advertiser, requests a councillor who was stood down in August, to appear at Henty House in Launceston next week.
The councillor has been asked to give evidence, without limitation, to:
- their experience of communication between councillors and council officers;
- understanding of council meeting procedure;
- experience of participation in council meetings and workshops;
- their views on the level of information and documentation provided to councillors to support or inform major decisions of council; and
- their understanding of decision making as a councillor and as a planning authority.
There was also a specific request for their:
- understanding of the construction of the Derby Council Depot on Crown Land;
- the relationship between Dorset Council and the Blue Derby Foundation;
- the varied waste management charge levied on Derby properties;
- as well as the tender process and subsequent contracts for the construction of the Derby and other bike trails.
But Greg Howard and Dale Jessup, who were Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively until being stood down in August for the investigation process, said they had not received any correspondence from the board at all.
“I have just got to sit back and wait and see but I don’t know the process and why we haven’t received a summons or any correspondence whatsoever,” Mr Howard said.
“It is nearly four months in and so we are halfway to when the report is due, and I haven’t heard anything, so it is pretty disappointing.”
Mr Jessup added: “I feel like I am sitting in a vacuum with no information.
“I thought they would have given us some information about the process given I put a submission in as part of the council process and also as far as the suspension of councillors went as well.
“I have been very disappointed in the whole thing, and I feel like no one is in our corner.”
When asked to confirm how many Council staff had been given a summons to appear before the Board of Inquiry, Dorset Commissioner Andrew Wardlaw said: “As of now, the Dorset Council has not received formal notification regarding the individuals who have been issued with summonses.”
A spokesman for the Board of Inquiry said those at the centre of the allegations would be contacted and be requested to appear before the Board.
“That will occur after the Board has obtained the information it considers necessary for their appearance,” the spokesman said.
“The Board advised 59 people and organisations made submissions. Approximately 20 notices to appear before the Board are currently being issued.
“At this stage, what the final number of appearances will be is not known.”
Mr Howard said it was interesting to see the “generic summons” given to former councillors which mentioned the Derby bike trail construction contracts.
“That was done by the council before I even started – I remember going as Deputy Mayor to the official opening of the first 40km of trails when that happened, so we didn’t deal with any of that – it seems they are grabbing at straws trying to get anything Dorset Council has ever done.”
Mr Howard said that he expected to be given adequate notice if he was going to be called as a witness close to the Christmas - New Year period.
“It will be disappointing if they are going to put us on the spot and not give us any forewarning about what they are going to ask us,” he said.