A Harrow councillor was found guilty of breaching his code of conduct after acting “inappropriately” with a constituent.
Cllr Stephen Wright, of Pinner ward, was censured by Harrow Council’s standards working group, which unanimously found he had brought his office into disrepute.
It came following a complaint from a woman who alleged he had “used information to exaggerate his influence as a powerful decision-maker to form an inappropriate personal relationship with her”.
The working group agreed he had made “inappropriate physical contact” with the complainant and exceeded councillor-resident boundaries when it came to the timings and frequency of their meetings.
It also found he had reacted poorly to the complaint by criticising council officers – describing them as “liars trying to whitewash events” – and demanding an independent investigation.
Cllr Wright accepted the punishment handed out by the group, which included censure and training so that “the boundaries in carrying out his role can be clearly understood and respected in future”.
“I was censured because I tried to do too much for one of my residents,” Cllr Wright said.
“I criticised council officers and I became caught up in the detail of a legal case. That was wrong and I accept censure.”
An online petition has called for the Conservative councillor to be removed from power, describing the working group decision as a “mere slap on the wrist” and claims that the complainant did not even get a full apology.
Harrow Conservatives have been contacted for comment on the decision.
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