BULLYING CLAIM AGAINST COUNCIL LEADER

‘Threatening manner’ at meetings claimed MP passes letter to the police Senior officials allege ‘culture of fear’

THE leader of South Tyneside Council is under investigation after being accused of bullying council staff.

Iain Malcolm, who has led the authority since 2008, is being subjected to a formal probe after a letter from two senior officials accused him of creating a “culture of fear”.

The explosive leaked letter was signed by Stuart Reid, the council’s corporate director, and head of corporate and external affairs Nicola Robason on July 13. In it, they detail a raft of complaints against the Labour council leader, in which they claim the “levels of abuse” from Mr Malcolm have become intolerable.

On a meeting on July 6 – during which a complaint of impropriety against him was being discussed – he is alleged to have adopted a “threatening manner” and “made a number of blatant and deliberate threat against the job security of officers”.

The letter refers to three other alleged incidents in which Mr Malcolm is accused of bullying senior figures within the council. In a statement put out on Twitter, South Shields MP Emma Lewell Buck – who has previously made allegations against Mr Malcolm – said: “I received a copy of this letter a number of weeks ago and believed it was something which needed to be seen by the police, the Labour party nationally and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government so duly passed it to them.”

She also referred to the “fractured nature of my own relationship with the council leadership and their small gang of supporters within the constituency party”. A spokesperson for South Tyneside Council said “A complaint is being progressed by an external independent investigator.

“The outcome of that investigation will determine whether it meets the threshold for referral to the council’s standards committee in due course.

“We are unable to comment further at this time.”

A Labour spokesperson said: “We are aware of the complaint but we cannot comment on ongoing investigations.”

Both Mr Malcolm and Northumbria Police have been contacted for comment.