“Although he believed he was motivated by the public interest, he agreed to issue an apology to the senior council officer for his behaviour.”
A Lisburn councillor has been suspended after accepting acts of “intimidatory” behaviour towards a “senior council officer”. A public hearing was due to take place over two days this week, but no witnesses were called after legal teams came to an 11th-hour agreement. The conduct relates to a two-person incident at the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) full council meeting on 25 June 2024.
Lisburn North independent councillor, Gary Hynds issued a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) through his solicitor (Patrick Higgins, Donnelly & Wall) following the adjudication hearing this afternoon (Oct 28).
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It reads: “At all times, I have acted in what I believed to be in the best interests of my constituents and highlighted important issues that I believe all constituents have a right to know about. “I believe in transparency and public accountability. I accept the decision of the adjudicating Commissioner Mr Gordon and I will continue to hold Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council to account on all matters of public importance.”
The LDRS understands all councillors present in chambers on the night in question provided witness accounts to the Commissioner for Standards about the altercation. The LCCC minutes of the full council meeting show 30 elected members were present, with 10 apologies for non-attendance. The incident between Councillor Hynds and a senior member of staff took place after the council had been meeting confidentially, so the live-stream of the meeting had been turned off, and if any members of the public had been there, they would have been asked to leave.
A statement released today (Oct 28) by the Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner for Standards Office, reads: “Councillor Gary Hynds will be suspended for one month following an adjudication hearing held today (28 October). “The sanction related to an incident in the council chamber on 25 June 2024 in which an altercation took place between the councillor and a senior member of council staff. “Following the altercation, an allegation was made to the Commissioner for Standards that the councillor had failed to comply with the Councillor’s Code of Conduct. “In his investigation report, the Deputy Commissioner stated that the councillor may have failed to comply with the Code’s rules, which deal with respect and consideration for others. “He also presented evidence which suggested that the councillor may have conducted himself in a manner which could have brought his position as a councillor into disrepute.”
It adds: “In advance of a number of witnesses giving evidence to the hearing to determine the facts of the case, the councillor agreed that his behaviour was intimidatory and that he had breached the respect provision of the Code. However, he denied that his actions amounted to bullying or harassment. “Although he believed he was motivated by the public interest, he agreed to issue an apology to the senior council officer for his behaviour. “Thanking both parties for their willingness to cooperate to find an agreed position on the facts, Adjudication Commissioner Ian Gordon stated that he was able to move to a decision on sanction. “After taking account of the mitigating and aggravating factors, he believed the most appropriate sanction was to suspend Councillor Hynds from his position as councillor for one month, starting from the date of his full written decision.”
It is understood that the Commissioner’s Office will release its decision in a matter of days.
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