A HALTWHISTLE town councillor bullied a female officer and failed to treat her with respect, a committee has ruled.

Coun. Kevin Little appeared before Northumberland County Council’s standards committee at County Hall in Morpeth last Friday, following a complaint about his conduct towards town clerk Susan Saunders.

Following a five-hour hearing, the committee ruled Coun. Little was in breach of Haltwhistle Town Council’s code of conduct by acting in a way a reasonable person would regard as bullying or intimidation.

Mrs Saunders claimed that Coun. Little questioned her honesty and integrity during a town council meeting on April 13, 2015.

The clerk said she was genuinely unable to photocopy a document at Coun. Little’s request because the printer had run out of ink, but claimed Coun. Little told another councillor that the printer was “allegedly not working.”

Mrs Saunders also claimed she was humiliated by Coun. Little during a site meeting at Haltwhistle cenotaph on June 18, 2015, and that Coun. Little had also sent her offensive emails.

She said: “I was humiliated in the street for all passers-by to witness. I was told I did not know what I was talking about, and should start speaking like a clerk and not like a councillor.

“I was quite shocked to find somebody so rude.

“It has knocked my confidence and had an effect on my health.”

The complaints against Coun. Little were lodged by Mrs Saunders’ husband, Andy Saunders, who was unhappy that an earlier complaint by his wife had not been sufficiently dealt with by the town council.

However, it emerged that the town council later banned Coun. Little from contacting Mrs Saunders via email or telephone.

Coun. Little said Mrs Saunders, who is a graduate and a school teacher, took the job despite having no previous experience of working as a clerk, and that “natural tensions would occur.”

He added: “This is a fabricated version of events.

“This investigation is flawed.

“It is about others, for personal, political and petty reasons, trying to get me off the council.”

Monitoring officer Liam Henry said: “The subject matter bullied the clerk.

“He failed to treat the clerk with respect, and emails were designed to undermine the clerk’s position.”

The standards committee recommended that Coun. Little be removed from sub-committees and working groups for 12 months.

The town council was advised to review its policies and procedures regarding employment practice.