“Pathetic and predictable” – Liberal Democrat response to the Council Standards Committee judgement on the three Labour Councillors who attended a mass tea party during the Covid-19 lockdown.

“You don’t stop being a Councillor for an hour or two when you choose to do something naughty, you still have a responsibility to behave yourself. When you put yourself up for a position where you will attract attention you have an additional duty not to set a bad example.

As for the recommendation that they should make a charitable donation equivalent to one month’s allowance, that comes to £450 after NI and income tax has been deducted, hardly enough to cause serious hardship. It’s also interesting the Committee didn’t recommend they resign their Council seats. That’s what they should do.

Let us not forget they have still not been suspended from the local Labour Party nor from the Labour Group of Councillors so we must assume the Labour Party thinks their behaviour is acceptable. Well 6,000 people who signed the petition don’t agree.”