Councillor calls out abuse and mocking comments at Fife House meetings

Councillor Aude Boubaker-Calder’s (Lib-Dem for Dunfermline Central) highlighted her experiences as her motion on anti-misogyny, bullying and discrimination passed with unanimous cross-party support on Thursday. The original motion made mention of a “toxic culture in the council chamber” which “discourages women, as well as individuals from other marginalised groups, from participating in local government”

However, that language was nowhere to be found at the meeting of the full council, and Councillors Sarah Neal (SNP for Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay) and Conservative group leader Kathleen Leslie pushed back against the language of a "toxic" environment.

“Others may feel very differently, but it’s not been my experience,” Cllr Leslie said.

Cllr Boubaker-Calder and Labour colleague Jan Wincott (Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch) called on the council to promote a culture of respect and inclusivity in local politics and beyond.

Cllr Boubaker-Calder shared claims of discrimination she’s faced in her role as an elected representative.

“Poor behaviour and personal attacks are never acceptable,” she said. “I consider myself a survivor of those behaviours. I was spoken to disrespectfully by some individuals not only here but also outside. I've been mocked for my speeches - either on my delivery or my accent in this chamber.”

She continued: “I’ve been verbally abused, questioned about my motherhood, my age, my capacity, and my origin. All because I’m a woman born in another country and a young woman in politics.”

Cllr Wincott shared her own opinion, claiming that if members of the public could hear everything from the chamber - things that aren’t always picked up by the microphones - they wouldn’t be impressed.

“If we create an environment where elected members are reluctant to speak because they feel intimidated then we are disadvantaging our electorate who put us here to be their voice,” said Cllr Wincott.

“Everyone in this chamber and any other political environment should be treated with respect and allowed to have a voice.”

Cllr Neal spoke on behalf of the SNP group, emphasising that the way councillors treat each other “reflects on us all.”

However, she said she personally felt “ welcomed, valued and supported” in both the SNP group and across party lines. “I’ve seen members storm into this chamber and storm out, I’ve heard moans and groans when some members speak and some chuntering. All of those things can be uncomfortable and at times even distressing for some or all of us,” she explained.

"But we have to recognise that we are in a political arena and just because we say something doesn’t mean it’s true - it can be open to challenge. We should be able to speak and be challenged robustly or be robustly challenging and to do so in a respectful manner.”

Cllr Leslie acknowledged the experience of other elected members in Fife and beyond, but said that in her seven years as a councillor, she has never personally experienced misogyny.

“We do need to ensure we’re mindful of how we speak to each other within our council chamber, but I would certainly not ever want to see robust debate - provided it’s not personal - being stifled. That’s the beauty of democracy. We should be calling each other out, we should be debating and we should be doing that regularly.”

With the passage of the motion, the council essentially reaffirmed it’s commitment to diversity and equality and emphasised its standards of behaviour and respect amongst all elected members.