Fife SNP councillor accuses Labour of bullying as she quits committee post

An SNP councillor has claimed she has been the victim of bullying by other elected members, sparking a cross-party row.
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Fay Sinclair, a Dunfermline South representative, wrote on social media that bullying was "sadly accepted" within local government - and singled out Labour councillors as being particularly responsible.

"Victims are told to have thicker skin rather than bullies be challenged," she wrote in the post on Twitter.

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"I've experienced this first hand. My Labour 'partners' have been the worst. I'm no longer prepared to just quietly take it. Bullies don't deserve my respect."

Ms Sinclair, who convened the education committee until standing down this week, added that she believed such behaviour was damaging the public perception of local politics.

"There can be a fine line between robust political debate and personal attack, but if we fail to challenge bullying we will never attract or retain representatives who care more about their communities than political point scoring," she continued.

"Folk see the negativity and are turned off politics."

Her comments come in the wake of a report on the conduct of Home Secretary Priti Patel, who was found to have breached the Ministerial Code by bullying staff. Ms Sinclair, who stepped down as education convener last week citing health reasons, could not be reached for further comment.

Councillor Fay Sinclair.Councillor Fay Sinclair.
Councillor Fay Sinclair.
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The council in Fife is run by an SNP-Labour coalition administration.

David Ross, co-leader of the council and leader of the Labour group, said he was "flabbergasted" by the claims, adding that he was not aware of any formal complaints being made to the chief executive, Steve Grimmond.

He intends to seek a formal apology from Ms Sinclair if she does not provide evidence of her allegations.

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"I contacted the Council's Chief Executive immediately after these claims were brought to my attention," the Kirkcaldy North councillor said.

"He has responded to me that he is not aware of any specific complaints against any individual Labour elected member having been raised with him.

"This is a serious matter. Bullying is unacceptable. Any substantiated cases should be properly dealt with.

"The statements made by Cllr Sinclair, which in effect accuse every Labour councillor on the council of bullying behaviour, are also unacceptable.

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"Unfortunately, mud sticks. I will be seeking an apology from Cllr Sinclair, and am considering making a complaint to the Standards Commissioner about the remarks she has made."

Fife Council did not say whether it was independently investigating Ms Sinclair's claims.

Morag Ferguson, head of legal and democratic services, said: “Councillors follow a national code of conduct which is enforced by the Standards Commission for Scotland and is very clear on the standards of behaviour expected.

“As a council we don’t tolerate bullying and would encourage anyone to report any incidents so the appropriate action can be taken.

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"Any complaints received about the conduct of a councillor or councillors would be referred to the Ethical Standards Commissioner for investigation.”

The Ethical Standards Commissioner said it was not conducting any investigations into Fife Council members at this time.

>. Jon Brady is the Local Democracy Reporter for Fife & Angus

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