Under-fire council leader apologises, calls for 'group harmony' (From Bournemouth Echo)

Under-fire council leader apologises, calls for 'group harmony'

11:00am Thursday 8th December 2011 in News By Stephen Bailey

BOURNEMOUTH council leader Peter Charon made a public apology to a backbencher over alleged bullying and made a call for “group harmony”.

Cllr Charon’s leadership has been the subject of two other complaints about him by Tory back benchers, and he has fallen out with Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood.

He was ordered to make a statement by the standards board after Mark Anderson complained that he was “humiliated” in public.

Cllr Charon has always denied bullying, but he has admitted becoming “frustrated” at Cllr Anderson’s support for a report into the effects of the off-shore windfarm planned for Poole Bay.

He told Cllr Anderson at a panel meeting: “Be careful, watch what you say – I’m leader of the council.”

The standards board was asked to investigate the comment, and emails sent by Peter Charon, and ordered him to make the apology.

Cllr Charon used the full council meeting to read extracts from an email he had sent to Cllr Anderson, in which he said he regretted the way the panel meeting turned out.

He said “group harmony, right now, is essential” and concluded: “Please accept my apology for the way I expressed some of my concerns and I will be more circumspect going forward.”

However Cllr Anderson told the Echo afterwards he did not feel the apology dealt fully with his complaint and was seeking advice from the standards board.

He said: “His statement doesn’t really say anything about the bullying. It says he lost his temper and he was sorry for losing his temper, but that’s just one part of it.”

l The Daily Echo can reveal details on a successful complaint made against Peter Charon by resident Pete Woodley.

Mr Woodley said he felt bullied by emails he received from Mr Charon about parking in Columbia Road.

The assessment panel of the standards board found in June that the emails could be viewed as patronising and impolite but were not explicitly offensive or rude.