The chief executive of Tameside council breached legislation when he expressed surprise on social media that a Tory voter had 'compassion and empathy’, an investigation has found.
A report due to go before an extraordinary meeting of the full council on Tuesday, June 14 has found that Steven Pleasant MBE breached government acts and the statutory code for local authority publicity. Mr Pleasant, who had been head of the authority’s paid service for 13 years, resigned with ‘immediate effect’ earlier this week.
The breaches relate to a tweet he posted on March 25 using his official chief executive account – six weeks ahead of the local elections – in which he responded to comments made by a Conservative voter on BBC’s Question Time. A clip from the TV programme showed an audience member who voted for the Tories telling minister Damian Hinds his government is a ‘disappointment’.
