Report into complaints against 'sacked' councillor shows Central Beds Council code of conduct breach
An inquiry into two complaints against a Central Bedfordshire councillor reveals the investigating officer felt there was a breach of the local authority’s Code of Conduct, according to a report to its standards sub-committee.
Former executive member for children’s services with Central Bedfordshire Council and Independent Leighton Linslade West councillor Steve Owen is due to face a standards sub-committee hearing on Friday (January 16).
A report to the hearing revealed: “The investigating officer concluded that councillor Owen’s conduct relevant to complaints made indicates evidence of a failure to show leadership and breaches a paragraph of the CBC’s Code.”
The relevant part of the code “provides that councillors must treat others with respect”, added the report.
The SNAP parent carer forum steering group complained to the CBC monitoring officer in December 2024 that councillor Owen had misrepresented it at a joint budget scrutiny meeting held that month.
A second complaint was raised by the steering group based on how parents were being communicated with about this subject on the Central Bedfordshire special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Action Group Facebook page.
These two complaints made against councillor Owen on December 19 and 20, 2024, are the subject of the hearing, said the sub-committee report. “CBC has a procedure in place for dealing with complaints against councillors, which is included as Part 5B of the council’s Constitution.
“Any complaint received by the local authority regarding the behaviour of councillors, within the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct, will be dealt with in accordance with this procedure.
“In accordance with the assessment criteria set out in CBC’s arrangements, the complaints were referred for formal investigation. CH and I Associates were appointed by council’s monitoring officer to conduct the formal independent investigation relating to those complaints.
“In the final report, the investigating officer concluded that councillor Owen’s conduct relevant to complaints made suggests evidence of a failure to show leadership and breaches paragraph 6.1.1 of the Code of Conduct, This provides that councillors must treat others with respect.
“The independent investigator invited the monitoring officer to explore the possibility of informal resolution through consultation with the subject member, complainants and the independent person.”
An independent person is an impartial individual, not a councillor, appointed under the Localism Act 2011 to uphold high standards of conduct, providing a neutral viewpoint on complaints against councillors.
“The monitoring officer engaged with the above parties about an informal resolution between August 27th and September 30th 2025. At the end of this process, the monitoring officer determined the finding of the investigating officer be referred to a hearing in accordance with paragraph 32 of the council’s Constitution.
“The sub-committee’s findings of fact, and whether or not those facts lead to the conclusion there was a failure to comply with the Code of Conduct, will be announced at the end of the hearing.
“Where the member is considered to have breached the Code, the committee will determine any sanctions to be imposed.”
Councillor Owen was “sacked” from CBC’s executive last week. He later said the hearing “will happen exactly as it would have” and “it makes me a little freer to respond to whatever the committee wants to ask me”.