Private detectives at Witney town hall (From Witney Gazette)

Private detectives at Witney town hall

2:12pm Tuesday 13th February 2007 in Witney By Tim Hughes

WITNEY Town Council has been thrown into turmoil after its town clerk resigned hours after a failed no-confidence vote in two senior councillors.

Pat Nevins quit yesterday citing treatment of her staff and that they felt intimidated. She said private detectives had been called in to investigate staff.

The previous night, there had been a closed session of the council, at which councillors attempted to pass a vote of no-confidence in the mayor, Chrissie Curry, and town and West Oxfordshire district councillor David Harvey - a Conservative and chairman of the policy and finance committee.

The motion, which claimed the pair had behaved in a way that could bring the council into disrepute, and which called on them to resign, was defeated.

The pair have also been reported by Mrs Nevins to the Standards Board for England - the independent body which investigates conduct in local government.

Mrs Nevins said her position had become impossible because of a catalogue of incidents - including the hiring of a firm of private detectives to investigate staff. She said: "If I can't protect my staff . . . I have no choice but to resign.

"As town clerk, I raised a grievance, which is what the vote of no-confidence was about. This was about the use of a firm of private detectives to carry out an investigation in the town council.

"Staff members have reported that they feel intimidated and distressed by being forced to cooperate with the investigation. The investigation has cost more than £6,000."

She said there was no council resolution for the payment.

She added: "On the advice of legal officers at the Society of Local Town Clerks, I've reported the matter to the Standards Board." Mrs Nevins joined the council last year, moving to Witney from Durham. She said: "I am very sorry to leave the council. I have just moved to Witney and have enjoyed meeting and working with groups and communities across the town."

Both Ms Curry and Mr Harvey have declined to comment on the vote of no-confidence motion.

Ms Curry said: "This is a confidential internal matter. I can't comment."

Mr Harvey said: "It's an internal matter for the town council, and I have no comment to make."

Town councillor David Nicholson, a member of the council's Liberal Democrat group, who supported the motion of no-confidence, said: "I have never known anything like this."

Fellow Liberal Democrat Paul Slamin said a report on the council's use of funds in hiring the private detectives had gone to the Audit Commission - the independent body responsible for ensuring public money is used effectively.

He said: "As one of the signatories to the motion, I thought it was entirely correct. The final say will be left with the Standards Board and the Audit Commission, who have received documentation. This is a row that isn't going to go away."