I am disgusted at the double standards shown by Bournemouth’s Conservative councillors with regard to council leader Stephen MacLoughlin (Leader expresses regrets after he survives porn row, Daily Echo, November 6).
Deputy leader Cllr John Beesley said of their decision to take no action against their leader: “It was a good example of Conservatives wanting to be fair and reflective and, most of all, proportionate, and I think we have achieved that” (Daily Echo, November 5).
On reflection, does Cllr Beesley also think it would be proportionate for councillors to pay out of their own pockets, and not those of council taxpayers, for the suspension on full pay of council employees during an investigation into alleged misuse of council property by sending joke emails about Viagra?
Furthermore,why was this action taken against council staff at a time when senior council officers were aware of the situation regarding Cllr MacLoughlin and his council-owned laptop?
This must be investigated by the standards committee and they must not be conservative in their approach.
Above all, there must be no double standards from the standards committee.
R Rennison, Austin Avenue, Poole
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