An auditor heard bullying allegations among evidence that ‘cultural issues’ at East Devon DC saw officers leave and members decide not to stand for re-election.

A report by the council’s external auditor, Grant Thornton, describes how ‘poor working relationships between certain officers and members’ led to ‘a significant weakness’ in governance arrangements in both 2021-22 and 2022-23.

While the report was only intended to cover 2021-22, the auditor noted that it is required to report weaknesses when it is aware of them.

The auditor took a ‘deeper dive’ into governance arrangements between January and March 2023, and said that while relationships between most officers and portfolio holders seemed to be generally effective, ‘relationships between other senior officers and members were poor’.

Auditors heard allegations of bullying behaviour by both officers and members, and said relationships within the council has resulted in an ‘unacceptable culture’.

East Devon DC was told to recognise the ‘clear, consistent evidence’ of cultural issues, which Grant Thornton said had also been identified by another third-party organisation.

The authority was recommended to appoint an independent facilitator, agree a set of remedial actions, and revise its code of conduct and protocol for members and officers. It was told to report back to full council on progress within six months.

An East Devon DC spokesperson said: ‘Members of the council’s audit and governance committee had noted the auditor’s report and agreed to the actions that had been identified to address the issues raised.

‘The committee were reassured that the auditor’s report states that the current agreed actions should serve to address these issues and is already having the positive impact that they intended. 

‘The committee requested that officers provide regular updates to councillors to monitor the progress and effectiveness of the agreed actions.’