An extraordinary war of words between Bury’s longest serving councillor and former Conservative Party colleagues has included accusations of bullying from both sides.
The furious row, between independent councillor Yvonne Wright, who has been on the council for 17 years, her ward colleague for Tottington Luis McBriar and the wider Conservative group leadership comes as Coun Wright narrowly avoided being barred from the council after not attending any meetings for almost six months between May and this month.
That situation was averted when she was appointed to a committee which enabled her not to fall foul of the ‘six month’ non-attendance rule which is enshrined in law and means any councillor who does not attend is removed from the authority. Coun Wright, who left the Tory group in February and later topped the poll as an independent for the Tottington ward in May’s elections, has accused Bury Conservatives of a ‘desperate and continuing, nasty witch-hunt to assassinate my character and bully me’.
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Coun Wright’s statement came as her ward colleague, Conservative Luis McBriar said that when Coun Wright was still a Conservative councillor he was subjected to ‘abusive messages and bullying behaviour’ from her.
Coun McBriar, said: “On several occasions Coun Wright has accused Bury Conservatives and Conservative councillors, of which I am one, of bullying her. I would like to refute this accusation and would ask her to produce any evidence which would corroborate her claims.
“I would like to share with my constituents and the people of Bury as a whole, my experiences with Coun Wright. Upon being elected as councillor for Tottington ward, which was a great honour, I was subjected to abusive messages and bullying behaviour from Coun Wright.
“These ranged from being told I was not good enough to telling me I was just as incompetent as those who had come before me and various allegations being made against me to residents in Tottington, Walshaw and Affetside. I was told by my then ward and party colleague, that she no longer wished to work with me and thought it was best we worked separately.
“Upon receiving this bullying over a period of many months, I made a complaint to my Conservative Association. Before the investigation could be launched, Coun Wright resigned from the party.
“As a result, I chose not to make this matter public due to Coun Wright leaving the party and therefore assuming it was the end of the matter. I am now shocked to be reading comments and statements from Coun Wright accusing me of the kind of behaviour which she directed towards me. I did not expect to be a victim of bullying as a new councillor by a veteran of Bury Town Hall.”
A statement from Coun Wright, said: “I am shocked as I have never been accused of bullying in my entire 70 years. I am also appalled because I never thought that Coun McBriar would stoop so low. I was never notified of any such accusations by Bury Conservative Association claimed by Coun McBriar nor did any discussion ever take place with me.
“To state I left the party due to this is absolutely untrue and for the birds. Abusive messages supposedly constantly sent by me over a period of months is also pure fabrication. Coun McBriar is well aware why I resigned and yet I never went public. It is clear to all that Bury Conservatives are now desperate and continuing a nasty witch-hunt to assassinate my character and bully me into submission but I will not give up.
“I did not receive any notification at any time from the chairman of the Tory party. I am happy for my iPad phone and computer to be inspected.
“I am in pieces that my good name is be defamed. I left the party because of their malicious rumours put out by them and its continuing.”
In a previous statement Coun Wright said she had concluded that she had ‘become the subject of a witch hunt led by Tory Leader of six months, Coun Russell Bernstein’ and that ‘the objective of the 12 Conservative councillors is to force me out of office and replace me with a Conservative candidate’.
Responding to this, Conservative leader, Coun Bernstein, said: “I have been made aware that Councillor Yvonne Wright has made accusations against all 12 Conservative councillors. On behalf of the Conservative councillors we totally reject these blatant lies.
“Let me once again reiterate that I do not make the rules for which Yvonne Wright is falling foul of. The only person responsible for this is Coun Wright herself.”
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