Standards Hearing – 10.00 on Friday 2nd September 2022

 

Statement by Cllr Ian Cuthbertson

 

As has been explained, I cannot be present at this hearing because of a lengthy dentist’s appointment – this is part of some root canal work that is currently being undertaken.

 

I would like to draw to the hearing panel’s attention that, although the suggestion is made in some statements that I have frequently attended meetings of Haxby Town Council, that was only true up to June 2019.  At that point I was given a responsible position as Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education and from then, I could not attend at all regularly because of the time needed to fulfil that role.

 

Despite suggestions in the statements of Cllr Guilford and Cllr Wyatt, since the start of the 2019 municipal year I have only been able to attend HTC meetings in June, July and September 2019, and in August and November 2021.   There was also the meeting of the R&OSC on 12th August 2021, which is actually the only meeting being referred to in this complaint.  It is evident that there is a good deal of inconsistency between the statements of the three different witnesses, to the extent that there is uncertainty about the exact date of the meeting and what is alleged to have taken place.   There is however, consistency between the statements of Cllr Pearson, myself and ex-Cllr Beverley effectively negating what is said by others.

 

The complainant and his witnesses give no evidence of misbehaviour, bad-tempered language or language ‘which cannot be repeated’ at any other HTC meeting held since May 2019 and there have been no other complaints of such behaviour on my part.  Indeed, ex-Cllr Crawford describes my conduct and interaction with HTC councillors as being ‘exemplary’. In contrast, she goes on to give a quite damning description of Cllr Guilford’s own ‘recurring breaches of the Code of Conduct’ and his ‘overbearing and disrespectful behaviour’, which resulted in him being stood down from all committees for some months in 2017.

 

I would be grateful if these points could be taken into account at the hearing.

 

Cllr Ian Cuthbertson

20th August 2022