David Graham fall-out: Fife Council to strengthen sexual harassment reporting
A report into how Fife Council can strengthen its policies for reporting sexual harrassment in the workplace has been published.
It followed on from the conviction of disgraced ex-Labour councillor, David Graham, who was jailed for sexual offences against a 15-year old girl.
Following his conviction, it emerged a complaint had been lodged about his conduct some eight years earlier - sparking a bitter clash between Labour and SNP leaders.
Councillor David Ross, leader of the minority Labour administration, survived an SNP motion of no confidence in his handling of the matter after leader Craig Walker accused him of “leadership accountability and safeguarding failures.”
A visibly upset Cllr Ross branded the opposition’s move as “dirty politics” and a “disgusting attempt to gain political advantage on the back of David Graham’s actions.”
The political fall out came after Graham was jailed last August for 27 months - his return to the area prior to sentencing also led to appalling scenes as demonstrators gathered outside the place he was staying.
The complaint made against Graham was lodged informally some eight years before his abuse – which horrified his political colleagues – came to light.
Amid the political backlash, the council commissioned law firm Brodies to assess its policies on supporting staff, and how the matter was handled. That was delivered in March, and a response from Ken Gourlay, chief executive, will now be considered by members of the Cabinet on Thursday.
Brodies’ report said the complaint was not sexual in nature, and was “handled proportionately and resolved appropriately through informal steps” - as the administration had stated during an often heated debate last year.
It gave more detail on Graham’s conduct towards the council employee, stating he would spend “up to an hour talking to her, disrupting her work and that of the team.” He was described as “a nuisance” and “annoying” - and the staff felt it difficult to end the conversations given his role as a senior councillor.
No formal complaint was raised, and the content of the conversations was innocuous, but the issue was flagged by a line manager to Cllr Ross who addressed it with Graham. The staff member then had very limited contact with the then Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages councillor.
The subsequent review by Brodies found the local authority had “strong foundations for a positive culture” - but did make some recommendations which have been taken up.
The council will launch a campaign to ensure employees know how to report sexual harassment in the workplace, and make sure its whistleblowing policy is better advertised.
Mr Gourlay’s report to Cabinet noted: “While Fife Council’s sexual harassment policy and intranet guidance clearly set out a zero tolerance approach, they do not currently include an explicit commitment that the organisation provides an environment where everybody is free from harassment.
“We are working with comms colleagues on a campaign to highlight how employees can raise any concerns including those of sexual harassment. We have a robust action plan in place for sexual harassment and third party harassment.”
The local authority will launch coaching for senior leaders, and councillors are being invited to review policies within their own political parties to see if any improvements are needed.
Brodies’ report noted: “The council has strong foundations and a positive culture, but further structured improvements will help ensure clarity, consistency, resilience and confidence in reporting frameworks.” It added: “It should be acknowledged that, during our investigation, we received positive feedback on the Council’s overall culture and approach. We were repeatedly informed that it was a positive place to work with high levels of collaboration and openness, both in 2017 and today.”