Lord Mayor faces hearing over allegation (From Witney Gazette)

Lord Mayor faces hearing over allegation

10:30am Saturday 4th August 2012 in News

AN official hearing into comments allegedly made by Oxford Lord Mayor Alan Armitage during a school visit will be held, Oxford City Council announced yesterday.

Officials have decided to refer Mr Armitage to the council’s standards committee over the allegations.

Last month the mother of a girl who attends Cheney School complained Mr Armitage, a Liberal Democrat city and county councillor, said something inappropriate to a child at a Sport Oxford event held in June.

The council has not confirmed the nature of the allegation.

City council spokesman Annette Cunningham said: “The standards complaint made against Councillor Armitage will be referred for investigation. That will enable the allegations to be properly looked into.

“The investigation will take a number of weeks to complete and it would inappropriate, and unfair to Councillor Armitage, for the authority to make any further comment until the investigation has been concluded.”

Mr Armitage said: “It’s disappointing but not unexpected. I would really prefer to reserve my comments until there’s some kind of outcome.”

He said he would carry on with his civic duties as normal.

A date for the hearing has not yet been set.