'Not very bright, selfish and self-obsessed' mayor's verdict on some councillors as complaints between members soar.

Byline: EMILY CRAIGIE [email protected] @emilycraigie

MIDDLESBROUGH Mayor Andy Preston has criticised councillors saying too many are "selfobsessed, selfish and not very bright" as complaints between members soar.

The mayor has spoken out after 12 complaints have been lodged by councillors against others already this year already, compared to just four in the whole of 2020 and nine in 2019.

Mayor Preston added: "For way too long politics in Middlesbrough has been a disgrace.

"There are some brilliant councillors here but there are also way too many self-obsessed, selfish and frankly not very bright people who seek to cause trouble for the good of their own self-promotion.

"Politics in Middlesbrough features a significant number of people who seek to cause trouble for others by making official complaints about them citing all sorts of false allegations - from bullying to pretty much anything they can dream up.

"What the public don't necessarily realise is that every single one of those complaints costs the tax-paying people of Middlesbrough thousands of pounds in council time and resources.

"Some unscrupulous councillors are racking up council bills that amount to thousands simply to cause political trouble.

"The worst and increasingly frequent example I've seen is councillors trying to bully others by falsely alleging they themselves have been bullied.

"I want to see a culture change in Middlesbrough Council that will end this outrageous waste of time and money and, for once, get all councillors focused on putting Middlesbrough first."

In total, there have been 29 complaints so far this year, 12 of those are from members while the other 17 are from others which could include council officers or members of the public.

Of the 29, two have been withdrawn and 16 resolved informally.

In a report, prepared for the Standards Committee, it stated: "There is also an increase in member on member complaints, with this year's complaints being almost as high as the last two years combined, with still a quarter of the year remaining.

"We need to consider whether there is a culture that has developed within Middlesbrough to have a low tolerance to the usual cut and thrust of political debate, and whether some of the complaints have been of a retaliatory nature, with complaints being made from and against the same members in regards to the same issue."

For way politics Middlesbrough been a Mayor Preston

Labour Group leader Cllr Matt Storey is concerned about the lack of tolerance in Middlesbrough politics and believes some elected officials are propelling allegations of corruption for their own political gain.

He added: "Tolerance is a virtue in short supply these days in politics. The polarisation of debate in Middlesbrough is worrying with too many local leaders vilifying 'politicians' whilst being a politician themselves and unfounded and groundless allegations of corruption and impropriety being used in order to undermine trust in political opponents and win elections. Politics doesn't have to be poisonous or antagonistic. It's OK to praise others for their good work even if they are not of the same political persuasion as you.

"Standards have dropped at the Council since May 2019, I have no doubt about that."

The report states that members' social media comments are responsible for a large number of the complaints with 12 in 2019, 14 in 2020, and 14 in 2021 to date.

Cllr Antony High, leader of the Middlesbrough Independent Group, is concerned about the actions of councillors online.

He added: "There has always been a cut and thrust mentality within politics, it is just the nature of the environment.

too long in has disgrace.

"However, some councillors behaviour online is extremely poor and they often lead personal vendettas." Leader of the Conservative councillors, David Coupe, believes a key issue is the Standards Committee does not have more severe enforcement powers and said that the level of complaints between members was getting "horrendous".

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He added: "The problem with the Standards Committee is it has no authority or bite whatsoever. If a councillor wants to ignore anything, they can.

"The Standards Committee doesn't have the power or authority to do anything "I went into public life to be friendly with people.

"You don't have to agree with someone but you shouldn't start having a spat with someone, it's not right at all."

For way too long politics in Middlesbrough has been a disgrace. Mayor Andy Preston issue does severe Group Storey

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The mayor of Middlesbrough, Andy Preston

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Author:	EMILY CRAIGIE [email protected] @emilycraigie
Publication:	Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough, England)
Geographic Code:	4EUUK
Date:	Oct 27, 2021
Words:	739
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Topics:	Mayors