Stirling Council’s leader revealed he was bullied at school as he asked fellow elected members to keep open a “pathway to redemption” for suspended councillor Danny Gibson.
Labour’s Councillor Gibson, who represents Stirling North, was found to have breached a council code of conduct and given a five-month suspension for bullying a senior official following a Standards Commission for Scotland hearing last month.
The commission had ruled his behaviour “entirely inappropriate and unacceptable”.
At a full council meeting last week, however, he was further banned from representing the council on any outside bodies for the duration of the current council – a move backed by all but his Labour colleagues.
While all councillors were in agreement that bullying should be condemned, the council leader, Labour’s Chris Kane, argued the ban was a step too far, giving his personal reasons for his view.
“As someone who was bullied at school, if I suddenly look as if I’m going to burst into tears it’s because that’s how it still affects me 30 years later,” said Councillor Kane.
“For my own sanity, in dealing with bullies and so it doesn’t weigh on my mind, I have to offer a path of forgiveness and a path of redemption for those who are bullying.
“If I wasn’t offering that to Councillor Gibson, no matter how raw we all collectively feel after the Standards Commission – which was hard to listen to – that would reflect on my own character in a way I wouldn’t be comfortable with.
“We have the power to withhold him from these positions anyway.
“We have to lead by the power of our example and not the example of our power.
“In this instance I think we have to leave a path for Councillor Gibson to redemption but I acknowledge in the Labour group that it’s a long one and it’s not a guaranteed one.”
SNP councillor Gerry McLaughlin, however, said: “It’s not good to have to admit we have a bully amongst us. Bullies thrive with lack of confrontation and it’s often tempting to turn around and say somebody else will take some action about it.
“I sat throughout the whole day of evidence to the standards hearing last week and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. It’s a very humbling experience.
“I heard Danny’s defence. His argument was that he was trying to argue his point.
“But it’s not just your side of the matter but how it’s perceived. It’s quite clear that officers felt belittled. We have to take that on board. People don’t get suspended for five months lightly.
“Danny to his credit has acknowledged that and is going to review his actions, which is good.
“But we as a council haven’t done anything yet.
“Surely as a consensus, as a council, we can send a signal to our staff that we don’t tolerate this, that we are opposed to it.”
Veteran Labour councillor Margaret Brisley said Councillor Gibson had already resigned from both internal and external positions and had apologised and it would be up to elected members whether he took up any positions anyway after his period of suspension.
“It’s been very uncomfortable for all of us,” she added.
“I certainly apologise to any officers who have felt uncomfort-
able, upset, angry by any behaviours of any of my colleagues or any other councillor in fact.
“I don’t think any of us would condone that type of behaviour and it is incumbent on us all to think very carefully both about our treatment of each other in this chamber, which often leaves a great deal to be desired, and our treatment of staff.”
Independent councillor Alasdair Macpherson, who submitted the original complaint about Councillor Gibson, accused Councillor Brisley of having a “convenient memory” over another comment she made about a previous five month suspension of a councillor, suggesting she had forgotten about the disqualification in the past of two Labour councillors.
Councillor Brisley had not named the councillor involved in that suspension, however Councillor Macpherson acknowledged it was a sanction imposed on him in 2014. He said: “Convenient memory is usual for Margaret.”
He said after Cllr Gibson’s hearing he had received an email from a former Labour councillor describing Councillor Gibson as “a boil that should have been lanced years ago”.
“I think that says it all here,” said Councillor Macpherson. “When I look back over the last couple of years it was very difficult because it created enormous tensions, especially when I was in joint administration when I was an SNP member.
“I felt an obligation under the councillor code of conduct that I had to do what I did.”
He said that in his own case in 2014, he “put my hands up and didn’t put officers through nine hours of a gruelling hearing”.
Councillor Macpherson agreed to retract the word “lying” after commenting that Conservative councillors Martin Earl and Douglas Dodds had “made a complete fool of themselves on the basis of prevaricating and maybe even lying under oath” while giving evidence at the hearing.
Councillor Brisley said Councillor Macpherson’s “tone in speaking typifies what’s wrong in this chamber”, adding: “You’re very disparaging to various people and as far as I’m concerned that should not be condoned either.”
Tory group leader Councillor Neil Benny said he had always found the vast majority of councillors dealt with officers in a “respectful, kind and considerate way” but that his group would not be supporting Labour principally because they couldn’t imagine a point where they would be happy for Councillor Gibson to represent the council on external bodies.
Green councillor Alasdair Tollemache suggested everyone, including himself, reflect on what could have been done to address Councillor Gibson’s behaviour from the outset, acknowledging Councillor Macpherson for initially pursuing it.
