A COUNTY councillor has been censured for failing to declare a pecuniary interest and for being disrespectful of planning officers.
Durham County Council standards committee’s hearings panel found that Cllr Stephen Hugill, a Conservative member for the Evenwood ward, had breached the councillor code of conduct.
The matter relates to a planning dispute at Wind Mill and Cllr Hugill’s comments about the issue during a planning inquiry. He also failed to declare that he owns a farm.
In his defence, Cllr Hugill stated that his farm is 20 miles from Wind Mill, and he had forgotten to declare it because it is managed by a land agent and leased out. He added that he was on medication at the time of declaring his interests.
Regarding the planning inquiry, Cllr Hugill was recorded as saying it was “disgraceful that council officers claimed site nuisance and impact are unmeritorious” .
He also described the actions of council officers as “deceitful” . Cllr Hugill had accused officers of using delaying tactics, which he also described as disgraceful.
The council appointed Stephen Pearson, of Freeths solicitors, to investigate the complaints.
In a report to the council, he said: “Cllr Hugill admits that he did not fill in his declaration of pecuniary interests on being re-elected in May 2017. He admits that he forgot about the landholding when confirming the land that he owned, listing only Carlton Cottage. “
“Cllr Hugill apologises for his failure to fill in his statement of disclosable pecuniary interest correctly and would endeavour to update it so it accurately reflects his interests. Cllr Hugill stands by his decision to speak out against the application at the planning inquiry.”
The council’s hearings panel agreed to publish a censure and recommended Cllr Hugill write an apology to the council’s chief executive Terry Collins.
They also recommended Cllr Hugill undergo training on the code of conduct, specifically in relation to the protocol on councillor/officer relations
The leader of the Conservatives on Durham County Council, Cllr Richard Bell, said: “All breaches of the code are regrettable.
“However, the farmland not declared is on or near the North Yorkshire border and had no bearing on any of Cllr Hugill’s duties at Durham County Council.”
