Lancashire Labour Councillor loses post after breaching code of conduct over academies

Labour group county councillor Clive Grunshaw was removed from his position as chair of the Education Scrutiny Committee at Lancashire County Council’s full meeting yesterday.

The decision came after the leader of the council Geoff Driver, stated he had not fulfilled all the conditions attached to a finding of misconduct.

Last month county councillor Grunshaw was found to have breached Lancashire County Council’s code of conduct when he used letter-headed paper and posted letters expressing his party’s political views about academies to 23 outstanding schools.

The party is opposed to academies claiming they take away vital funding from other schools.

As a result of an investigation he was asked to apologise to the council via the chief executive Phil Halsall and to the young people’s county councillor Susie Charles in order to retain his post.

During the meeting Coun Driver said he was forced to explain why the vice chair of the Education Scrutiny Committee, county councillor Pat Case, was being voted in by the opposition despite attempts to avert the situation.

It is understood the apology letter to the chief executive was accepted but another unidentical letter to Coun Charles was deemed as inappropriate.

Coun Driver said an option had been open to the Labour group to find a replacement but was declined.

Coun Grunshaw said: “In chasing their political point scoring match through the standards committee this whole process has wasted thousands of pounds of county council-taxpayers’ money and now in a display of complete control freakery they throw me off the committee.”

Coun Driver said: “This was not a political issue. We asked the Labour group to find their own replacement but they have refused.

"During the council meeting I did not want to cause embarrassment and was asked twice to explain the situation before the vice chair of the scrutiny committee County Councillor Pat Case was voted in.”