Standards Hearing Panel found there had been a breach of Paragraph 5 of the Code of Conduct in that Cllr Barnett had conduct herself in a manner which  brought her office into disrepute.

The hearing started on time in public at 10am. A few members of the local press, residents, one complainant and an ex-Mayor were then told to go away and come back, if they wanted to hear the outcome. Reluctantly, all people left the room. Cllr Mears have her character reference evidence in camera and even she could not remain inside the hearing room. It is not known what other evidence was given in person. Written evidence was already documented but the Public are not privy to it this time, though it was available from the previous hearing.

It was not till 4 pm that the decisions were made public. More details to follow, such as the stony faced demeanor of one of the Panel members who clearly was not  happy. News of the steps to challenge the Press and public restrictions will follow.

As one person said: "This a bad day for local democracy and an even worse day for fostering good relations within our diverse community."

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here