A councillor must apologise for an “offensive” email sent to Caerphilly Council’s leader and cabinet, a meeting has heard.
The standards committee found that Councillor David Poole’s complaint against Cllr Graham Simmonds was justified having caused offence to those involved.
Cllr Simmonds’ email contained “personal abuse” and “malicious allegations” against cabinet members, according to Cllr Poole.
But Cllr Simmonds said the email was not meant as an insult but as a comment on the authority’s performance.
The email referred to cabinet “failings” including financial overspends, the withdrawn local development plan (LDP), and a lack of investment in the Islwyn area.
It also criticised salaries of the leader and his cabinet – but Cllr Poole said decisions on councillor pay were made by the Independent Remuneration Panel of Wales.
Cllr Poole said he was offended by the email and its “abuse” of his cabinet, whose members he described as “hard-working” and “packed with talent”.
“I find it upsetting that somebody who knows the difficulties we’re facing should make those kinds of comments. I think it’s disgusting,” he said.
“I would expect it from someone else but not Cllr Simmonds.”
The meeting heard that Cllr Poole had previously received “strongly worded” emails from Cllr Simmonds but “nothing that would justify a complaint”.
Cllr Simmonds said he would be prepared to apologise but said questions on issues on the authority’s pension liability, and the ongoing pay scandal regarding three former senior officers, remained unanswered.
When asked to justify copying officers into the email, he said they would be best qualified to answer the “difficult, technical questions”.
“There is no greater insult to the public than to withhold information,” said Cllr Simmonds.
“We have an excellent performance management depart here but I can’t get these reports. I can only assume it would reflect badly on the cabinet.”
Cllr Simmonds was also critical of the authority’s “poor” educational attainment and the “uncosted” sport and active recreation strategy which he said would “plunge” his ward into further deprivation.
The Independent councillor for Cefn Fforest said his “extensive” research was being met with “non-compliance”, which he felt breached the Local Government Act.
When summarising, Cllr Poole said a debate on such issues was “very tempting”, describing some of Cllr Simmonds’ figures as being “inaccurate” and “plucked out of the air”.
He added: “[The committee is] here to make judgement on whether Cllr Simmonds was abusive and did not comply with the code of conduct.”
In response, Cllr Simmonds said: “Cllr Poole has had many months to take my arguments apart. My email reflected the running of this authority, and the unavailability of relevant information.”
Committee chair Diane Holdroyd said there was a basis to Cllr Poole’s concerns and asked Cllr Simmonds to give a written apology to each cabinet member within seven days.
“It was unfortunate that [Cllr Simmonds] used the language he did in his email to the leader,” said Mrs Holdroyd.
“Whilst we heard Cllr Simmonds did not intend to cause offence, nevertheless he did. We advise him to take more care with his words in future emails, and who they’re copied to.”