A LONG-RUNNING dispute between Uttoxeter’s current mayor and a former town and borough councillor is set to come to a head next week.
East Staffordshire Borough Council’s Standards Committee will meet on Monday night to decide whether a breach of the authority’s code of conduct was made after Councillor Martin Blencowe and former councillor David Brookes made complaints about each other.
The committee will look at the findings of two independent investigations into both Uttoxeter Heath Councillor Blencowe and Mr Brookes.
Former Uttoxeter Mayor Mr Brookes was a serving town councillor at the time he made the complaint against Councillor Blencowe.
He alleges that during a meeting of the town council in January 2011 Councillor Blencowe shouted at him and shouted that he was a liar.
Meanwhile Councillor Blencowe made a complaint about Mr Brookes alleging he made official statements in letters to the press signing the letter as mayor.
One such statement in regards to the town council’s precept stated that ‘Martin Blencowe and his colleagues did vote for every rise within the budget, they did vote for every service cost increase’.
Mr Blencowe had denied this was the case and complained that as he signed the letter as ‘mayor’ he was expressing the views of the council which he said was ‘abusing his position’ and ‘using the office of mayor to further his own personal issues’.
The standards committee made up of borough councillors, parish councillors and independent members meets in a public meeting at Burton Town Hall on Monday night at 6.30pm to discuss the reports findings.
