A FORMER mayor of New Milton has been told to make a formal written apology to a female town council colleague after he was found guilty of bullying her.

Conservative New Milton town councillor and New Forest District Council cabinet member Cllr Goff Beck appeared before a standards sub-committee this week.

Its members concluded Cllr Beck failed to treat Cllr Lloyds with respect and bullied her when he made remarks at a planning meeting on July 30 about telephone calls concerning her failing marriage.

Speaking about the decision Cllr Margaret Lloyds said: “I was jolly pleased with the result because it needed somebody like me to put a stop to this man.

“He thinks he’s Mr New Milton and it’s taken me, a woman, to stand up to him. He’s most intimidating and bullying and he must always have his own way.”

She said when she stood as a councillor Cllr Beck acted as her mentor. Later she unsuccessfully tried to get him made an MBE, “but as I got to know him and saw how he operated and saw his bullying tactics we just fell out”.

The standards sub-committee said Mr Beck carried out “an unreasonable personal attack”.

Whatever the provenance of the calls, “they had nothing to do with council business, they were extremely personal, and it was entirely wrong of Cllr Beck to have referred to them at a meeting called to discuss other matters...

“The sub-committee is of the view that Cllr Beck’s reference to the telephone calls during the July 30, 2009 meeting was humiliating and was calculated to undermine Cllr Mrs Lloyds.”

The sub-committee censured Cllr Beck and said he should write an apology, agreed by the sub-committee chairman, to Cllr Lloyds, the town council chairman, clerk and planning committee members.

If he failed to do so he will be suspended from the town council for a month from December 14.

Cllr Beck said he had apologised to Cllr Lloyds.

“I’ve complied with the sanctions imposed in every respect,” he said.

“It’s with a sad heart I find myself in this position. The sad thing to me is that we are all of the same political persuasion.”