Central Beds Councillor lodges ombudsman complaint after standards hearing
The former executive member for children’s services with Central Bedfordshire Council has complained to a local government watchdog about a local authority hearing held into two complaints against him.
Independent Leighton Linslade West councillor Steve Owen was sacked from his portfolio role with the ruling group on CBC by council leader Adam Zerny, earlier this month.
Councillor Owen faced a standards sub-committee meeting a fortnight ago, which formally censured him and asked him to make a “sincere public apology” at the CBC full council meeting yesterday evening (Thursday, January 29).
But he revealed to the local democracy reporting service that he subsequently lodged a complaint of his own to the local government and social care ombudsman.
His statement read: “Chairman, I have begun a formal ombudsman complaint of maladministration and other formal complaints of maladministration, relating to the January 16th CBC standards sub-committee hearing. I have been advised to make no further comment at this stage.”
Councillor Owen was found to have breached the members’ Code of Conduct over his response to criticism of CBC ’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) department and his subsequent attitude on social media.
Kirsty Green, of the SNAP parent carer forum (PCF), complained to the council’s monitoring officer in December 2024 that councillor Owen had misrepresented it at a joint budget scrutiny meeting held that month.
A parent complained about the conduct of councillor Owen during social media exchanges on the Central Bedfordshire SEND Action Group Facebook page.
Part of the Code of Conduct says that councillors must treat others with respect, according to a report to the sub-committee.
During his evidence at the hearing, councillor Owen was interrupted twice by the chairman, Independent Sandy councillor Simon Ford, who advised him to talk about whether there was a breach of the Code of Conduct.
Councillor Owen suggested he was “fighting for my reputation here this morning”, saying: “If you’re going to interrupt me, it’s going to make life very difficult for me in presenting my statement.”
Councillor Ford replied: “I fully appreciate that, but I’m also here as chairman to ensure we discuss the relevant points.”
Councillor Owen explained: “I’m really puzzled and feel very disadvantaged that you’re interrupting me and telling me I’m going off piste, when I’m simply trying to give a very quick overview of my defence statement.”
Councillor Ford reminded him the panel should hear discussions around whether ‘councillor Owen carried out the conduct complained of and, if so, was that conduct disrespectful and does it amount to a breach of the Code of Conduct’.
The chairman said: “Those are the points you need to be addressing, rather than anything else regarding process.”
Councillor Owen added: “I feel as though I’m trying to give the sub-committee an overview of the defence statement, which you have, and I was going to take that as read. But you’re saying ‘you must introduce and go over it’.
“As soon as I tried to do so, you’ve interrupted me twice. What I’m going to do now is fall silent and not proceed with any more attempts to present my case. I regret having to do that, but I don’t think you leave me any option.”