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Council leader faces threat of
inquiry
Cass Mann of Positively Healthy posed certain questions
to Cllr Arbour at a council meeting on Tuesday regarding Cllr Hilary
Dance's letter to the Richmond and Twickenham Times at the end of
last year, in which she wrote: "God did not originally make
two men to love or complement one another, neither did he create
two women to love and complement one another."
On the order paper, Cass Mann stated that Cllr Dance
breached certain sections of the council members' Code of Conduct
and it asked: "What measures does the council intend to take
to deal with her breaches of this code, which she has clearly done
by publishing her letter as a councillor using the council's official
address and email communication pathway?"
Cllr Arbour replied: "Any alleged breach of the
act is a matter for the standards board, recognising that Cllr Dance's
personal and religious beliefs have been interpreted by some as
homophobic and she wrote to apologise and emphasise that she is
not homophobic."
On the order paper Mr Mann said his friends and colleagues
had experienced a recent increase in verbal abuse and threatening
behaviour since November 2003, where the perpetrators now claim
to be acting in accord with Cllr Dance's aforementioned homophobic
statement'.
He asked: "What measures does the council intend
to take to ensure that gay and lesbian residents are not afraid
any more to walk the streets as a result of the statement?"
Cllr Arbour replied: "The council's policies
are clear. To suggest that people are afraid to walk the streets
is hard to believe. The council will however soon have some firm
evidence as to the views on transgender people, gays, lesbians and
people in same sex relationships, who live and work in the borough."
Mr Mann now says he is formally reporting Cllr Arbour
to the standards board as he believes the leader has brought the
local authority into disrepute by breaching the members' Code of
Conduct in three categories.
He said: "Arbour's response clearly indicates
that he is unfit for his cabinet role, as any person who was told,
without their evidence being checked and then being communicated
with, that their complaint was hard to believe', would feel abused
and violated a second time."
A spokesman for the council said: "Following
the letter, which caused offence in December 2003, both Cllr Hilary
Dance and the chief executive made statements to the local press.
Following these it was considered that, as far as the council was
concerned, the matter was closed.
"Leader of the council Tony Arbour strenuously
denies that anything he said in the council meeting on Tuesday,
March 2, brought the council into disrepute.
"If this matter is now being considered by the
standards board, it is inappropriate for the council to comment
further."
The row blew up last year during an intense and heated
debate which raged through the Richmond & Twickenham Times letters
pages over six weeks.
3:14pm Friday 5th March 2004
By Sarah Wood
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