Tory councillor suspended from party
A Conservative councillor responsible for housing has been suspended from the national party amid allegations about his conduct.
Douglas Spencer, cabinet member for housing, health and social care at Bournemouth council, is currently under investigation by the Conservative Party over unspecified allegations about his conduct as chairman of Bournemouth West Conservative Association.
If the national board of the party finds the allegations are true, Mr Spencer could also be dismissed from the cabinet. He is the fourth Conservative councillor in Bournemouth to be investigated recently for misconduct.
Council leader Stephen MacLoughlin will face a hearing in August after adult websites were accessed on his council laptop, while his deputy, John Beesley, is under investigation by the standards board after allegations of a conflict of interest between his role as chairman of planning and his friendship with a planning consultant. Mr Beesley denies the allegations.
Councillor Richard Powell was cleared last week of allegations about text messages that he sent from his personal phone.
Mr Spencer has formally appealed against the decision to suspend his membership. He said: ‘I have given a full and frank report on my work as chairman of the association together with the circumstances of my taking over from my predecessor, the conduct of the general election and the work of the association post-election.’
He insisted that the investigation would not affect his ability to carry out his cabinet responsibilities.
The council is maintaining that this is a political matter. Chief executive Pam Donnellan said: ‘No complaint has been received by Bournemouth borough council and no submission has been made to the standards board of the council.’
