David Graham: next steps for review into handling of sex offender ex-councillor

Confirmation was given at a meeting of the local authority’s Cabinet Committee on Thursday that a report is currently being worked.

The update was provided when councillors were presented with a report outlining current procedures in place for staff to ensure they are supported to raise any concerns of wrongdoing.

A further report, which came after a joint motion to look into the handling of the Graham case, will set out how an internal and independent review could be commissioned. It will cover the handling of any complaints of concerns raised with Fife Council about Graham before his conviction, whether the council policies and procedures were sufficient to protect women, staff, elected members, other vulnerable groups, children and the public, and how they were applied in practice.

It will also look at options for strengthening safeguards and complaint-handling to ensure robust protection in the future.

Graham, 43, was sentenced to 27 months in prison at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in August and his name was also added to the sex offenders register for a period of 10 years.

Having served as a councillor since 2012, he was found guilty of abusing a 15 year-old girl at various locations in Fife and Edinburgh, including his office, home address and in his car, between February and August 2023.

Sharon McKenzie, head of human resources, said: “We believe we introduced a robust and rigorous offering to anyone who wishes to make use of whistle blowing provision. We respect confidentiality, we assess complaints through a tri-partite group of senior officers, we monitor progress and offer support to individuals where needed and also signpost to current procedures because sometimes when complaints are made, it is not a whistle blowing complaint.”

Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy councillor, Kathleen Leslie, asked if employees were aware of the code of conduct for councillors and if information on safeguarding and wellbeing was provided to them.

Ms McKenzie responded: There is probably scope as part of our learning through this process to do a bit more in terms of helping people understand the role of the councillor, their responsibilities and the relationship that exists between councillor and employee.

“We are constantly doing work to improve the education process for new employees coming into the council. We are also thinking about refreshers so hat is something we can take away and consider as part of that work.”

Dunfermline South councillor James Calder, who had put forward the motion last month calling for the report, was pleased to see this progressing.

“It is extremely important we make sure we get that safeguarding done right and that all of our employees are able to feel that they can raise issues when necessary,” he said. “It is all very helpful. “I am pleased that we now have a timeline for this to come back to the Cabinet committee for a decision. We will continue to press to ensure that this is undertaken meticulously to ensure that we both understand what took place but also ensure that we improve any processes in the future.”