Honorary alderman row overshadows final meeting of Harrogate Borough Council

Councillors past and present, dignitaries and families members came to the Harrogate Convention Centre to watch the council bestow the title of honorary alderman or honorary alderwoman to councillors who have given over 15 years of good service to the authority, which is being abolished next week after 49 years.

Hookstone councillor and leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Pat Marsh, is eligible as she was first elected 33 years ago.

But last year a council standards panel ruled that Councillor Marsh breached its code of conduct after she made comments to a resident, that were secretly recorded, about Conservative council leader Richard Cooper, council officers and Councillor Cooper’s employer, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough Andrew Jones.

The panel asked Councillor Marsh to make a public apology but she refused, citing the political make-up of the panel and her right to free speech.

At a meeting in December, Councillor Cooper put forward a successful motion to effectively ban a councillor from becoming an honorary alderman or alderwoman if they refuse to take recommended actions such as apologise to members.

However, Councillor Cooper revealed last night that Councillor Marsh had emailed him an apology over the affair, which he has accepted.

Councillor Cooper said: “It would be wrong to claim that Pat Marsh and I have had a relationship of outstanding friendship over the last nine years of my leadership and her leadership – we’ve had our ups-and-downs.

“We’re talking about the recovery from a down and I was very pleased to receive your email.

"I wish you all the luck in the world with the new council.”

Councillor Cooper then proposed an amendment that would see Councillor Marsh become an honorary alderwomen.

But during the debate, Councillor Cooper’s deputy, Conservative councillor for Duchy, Graham Swift, spoke out against the wishes of his leader before demanding that Councillor Marsh made a public apology to the room.

Councillor Swift said: “Theft, corruption, lies and bullying — these are all serious issues and there is no space for partisan politics in such things.

“The Liberal Democrats have form.

“I’ve been accused twice for very serious offences and I know what it’s like to have lies spread about you.

"Four of the Lib Dems here today signed a complaint against me even though they were not in the meeting.

"That’s how serious they are about throwing mud.

"In my own personal case, the complaints were dismissed but I never got an apology despite being accused of a very serious offence.

“Why has the apology come so late and why now?

"I suspect it would never have come out at all if the distinguished title of alderman was not available.”

But despite Councillor Swift’s intervention, councillors voted to approve Councillor Cooper’s amendment and Councillor Marsh was later made an honorary alderwoman of the borough.

After accepting the title later in the evening, Councillor Marsh said: “This is quite a surprise and if you can see a few tears I’m sorry.

"I’ve represented the people of Hookstone ward for 33 years and it’s been such a privilege to do that.”

Nick Brown, Conservative councillor for Bishop Monkton and Newby, has been a borough councillor for 15 years so he was also eligible to become an honorary alderman.

Like Councillor Marsh, he had been the subject of a standards investigation following comments he made about Councillor Cooper but there has been a disagreement over whether Councillor Brown took the recommended action following the investigation.

Councillor Sam Green, Conservative councillor for Wathvale, proposed an amendment that would see Councillor Brown awarded the title of honorary alderman due to his length of service and because of a “misunderstanding” over the apology.

He said Councillor Brown believed he had no outstanding course of action to take but added he still issued a “comprehensive and sincere” apology to Councillor Cooper and other councillors through email.

Councillor Green, who was elected last year in a by-election and is the youngest member on the council, called on councillors to have the “courage of your convictions” and “stand up and be counted” to award Councillor Brown the title.

He said: “Let us end this council united so the minutes of this meeting will be looked back on in years to come that a clear wrong against one of the best of our own was righted.”

However, Councillor Cooper said he would still not be accepting Councillor Brown’s apology.

He said advice from the council’s Independent Person deemed it as “not acceptable”.

Councillor Cooper said: “Nick has given sterling service to borough for a great many years, that’s not an issue.

“But on the standards complaint I can’t let that quite stand.

“It is a closed matter, there are no further actions to take but it is not a resolved matter.

“It was drawn to a close without an apology and the independent person who is our sounding board deemed the apology was not acceptable.

“That principle isn’t something that I’m able to get over.”

Councillors eventually voted to approve each individual honorary alderman and alderwoman nomination, including Councillor Brown by 21 votes to 8 with 4 abstentions.

Councillor Cooper has dominated local politics in Harrogate for the last decade but will retire as a councillor next week.

In a sign that his power has now waned, those that voted to award Councillor Brown the title included a large group of Conservative councillors.

The four councillors that abstained on the vote are in his cabinet.

The full list of councillors put forward for the title and how long they have served is below:

Philip Broadbank, Liberal Democrat councillor for Starbeck (44 years)

Pat Marsh, Liberal Democrat councillor for Hookstone (33 years)

Nigel Simms, Conservative councillor for Masham and Kirkby Malzeard (24 years)

Margaret Atkinson, former Conservative councillor for Fountains and Ripley (23 years)

Jim Clark, former Conservative councillor for Harlow (22 years)

Trevor Chapman, Liberal Democrat councillor for Bilton Grange (19 years)

Michael Harrison, Conservative councillor for Killinghall and Hampsthwaite (19 years)

Sid Hawke, Ripon Independents councillor for Ripon Ure Bank (18 years)

Stuart Martin, Conservative councillor for Ripon Moorside (18 years)

Christine Willoughby, Liberal Democrats councillor for Knaresborough Eastfield (17 years)

Matthew Webber, Liberal Democrat councillor for New Park (16 years)

Robert Windass, Conservative councillor for Boroughbridge (15 years)

Nick Brown, Conservative councillor for Bishop Monkton (15 years)