BOURNEMOUTH council has had its knuckles rapped after failing to properly carry out an investigation into a councillor.

Friends of Riverside campaigner Conor O’Luby made a complaint against Cllr Mike Greene, cabinet member for transport and waste, following a full council meeting on December 5.

However weeks after the complaint was filed Mr O’Luby became frustrated with the lack of progress and reported the delay to the Local Government Ombudsman.

In a report, the investigator said they had “found fault in the process the council followed”, and a new investigation was now scheduled to take place.

The report states: “When Mr C complained to the council in December 2016 the council’s monitoring officer appropriately referred the complaint to the chair of the standards committee.

“However, in considering the complaint it failed to follow its own procedure as it did not consult with members of the committee. In response to our enquiries the council accepts that this was fault. The council took three months to respond to Mr C’s complaint. This delay was also fault.”

Calling the delay “frustrating”, Mr O’Luby said: “The Ombudsman has ordered a new investigation of my complaint against Cllr Mike Greene, following the failure by Bournemouth council to follow the correct procedure and involve all committee members (including co-opted members) in discussions.

“I expect my complaint to be re-investigated as ordered and that a full report is placed before the standards committee meeting of July 4, 2018. Should this not happen I will begin complaints proceedings against Cllr Beverly Dunlop, chair of the standards committee.”

Friends of Riverside is a residents’ group campaigning against council plans to build a link road between the A338 Wessex Way and Castle Lane East, via the Wessex Fields business park.

According to the report, the original complaint was that Cllr Greene (described as Cllr X) accused Mr O’Luby of “pure fabrication” in a response to a public question. Mr O’Luby also alleged that he had been “deliberately misquoted” in a written response to his question received the following day.