Dudley Council leader hauled before standards committee after 'woke brigade cop' comments
The leader of Dudley Council has been ordered before the authority's standards committee after an investigation found he was "disrespectful" to a police chief.
Councillor Patrick Harley has been accused of breaching the council's code of conduct over his behaviour towards Chief Superintendent Kim Madill in a row over an illegal travellers' camp.
In November 2021 Mr Harley criticised the then borough commander for refusing to move on travellers who had stayed for longer than the permitted 28 days at the Budden Road transit site in Coseley.
He said at the time the council had "lost all confidence" in Ch Supt Madill. He accused her of letting her "political feelings" cloud her judgment and called for her to be reassigned away from Dudley.
Dudley Council launched an independent investigation into his comments following a formal complaint from West Midlands Police chief executive and monitoring officer Jonathan Jardine.
Mr Jardine questioned whether Mr Harley's remarks amounted to bullying and suggested they did not meet standards expected in the members' code. He called on Mr Harley to publicly apologise and withdraw his comments.
West Midlands Police's complaint was upheld following an investigation by Daniel Stilitz QC, who said that while Mr Harley’s remarks did not amount to bullying, they were "disrespectful, unwarranted and inappropriate".
He concluded they gave rise to a breach of the code of conduct.
In his formal response, Mr Harley said he had "no regrets" about his comments and that the disagreed with the investigation's findings.
He claimed Ch Supt Madill belonged to "the woke brigade" who "want to tear down the very fabric of our society" by supporting those "who seem hell-bent on trespassing and causing distress to law abiding citizens".
He said he stood by his view that Ch Supt Madill’s actions were "inappropriately politically motivated", and claimed that since the row Dudley Council now has "full cooperation" from the police.
Mr Harley also said Ch Supt Madill had since been moved away from the area and that the force’s support had "recently been impressive", thus vindicating his stance.
Explaining the decision not to move on travellers last year, Ch Supt Madill said she had taken into account the need for "recognising diversity" and showing the force's "care and compassion for difference".
Mr Harley is set to appear before the standards sub-committee at a meeting on June 20.
The committee has no power to suspend or disqualify a member, but can order a formal censure through a motion, withdrawal access to facilities and arrange training.
