Union fury at racist comment "let off"
TRANSPORT union RMT has expressed its disappointment at the leniency offered to a Craven District councillor who made a racist comment at an RMT social event in his former capacity as the authority's chairman.
Councillor David Heather, who is also currently Mayor of Settle, outraged delegates and officials at the union's black and ethnic miniority members' conference in Skipton earlier this year after he remarked that he would be making no "coon" jokes in his welcoming speech.
A complaint from the union to the Standards Board of England and Wales was referred to Craven Council's monitoring officer, who concluded that Heather had been disrespectful to delegates and had brought his office into disrepute, in breach of the Code of Conduct.
However, the council's standards sub-committee decided to take no further action after councillor Heather apologised to the council.
"It is astonishing that Councillor Heather has been let off without even the slightest slap on the wrist for making a gratuitously offensive racist remark while the guest of RMT members," the union's general secretary, Bob Crow, said today.
"It speaks volumes that the current council chair saw fit simply to express his pleasure that the affair is now behind Mr Heather and that he could now move on.
"The overall impression given is that our complaint has not been been taken seriously and that the matter has effectively been shrugged off. That is simply not good enough."
"The Liberal Democrats should really be asking themselves if this the proper way to deal with behaviour from one of their number who remains a district and county councillor and Mayor of Settle, and has not even been asked to undergo awareness training," Bob Crow said.
The leader of the Lib Dem group on the council, Paul English, said: "Mr.Crow, has decided to bring the Liberal Democrats into his argument for reasons only known to himself. He is not in an informed position to comment on any internal actions which may or may not have been taken regarding this matter. "The Liberal Democrats will continue to conduct their internal business both fairly and confidentially. We are happy that this matter is now closed and value Cllr. Heather as a part of our team."
Source: ThisIsBradford.co.uk (01/11/2006)
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