A COMMUNITY group is set to raise concerns about conduct at a recent Inverclyde Council meeting with the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

The decision comes after an independent probe into seven complaints which were made about the behaviour of members of the council concluded without any action being taken.

Labour councillor Jim Clocherty had faced a formal allegation of misogyny following a council meeting on February 29, but in a statement issued earlier this week an Inverclyde Council spokesperson stated an independent reviewer had concluded there was no misogynistic behaviour at meetings in February.

READ MORE: Councillor Jim Clocherty cleared of misogyny following probe

Councillor Lynne Quinn, who made the complaint about Councillor Clocherty, said it was ‘disappointing’ that the complaints had not been upheld and revealed that Gourock Community Council now intended to take the issue up with Scotland’s ethics watchdog.

In a statement online, Cllr Quinn said she had lodged two complaints following the February meeting, which saw the local authority approve a controversial council tax rise.

She added: “The first complaint was related to the direct behaviour that I was subjected to and how I felt it displayed a ‘misogynistic attitude’. 

“I believe this represented a pattern of behaviour since the councillor in questioned had previously wolf whistled at me in front of the previous chief exec.

“The second complaint was based on my opinion that the chamber can be a hostile and intimidating environment because of another councillor’s behaviour. 

“This has resulted in me, frequently being censored and unable to represent my community effectively.

“Following the receipt of my complaints, together with a number of other complaints, the council instructed an independent investigation. 

“The scope of this investigation was very specific. It was to review these complaints and establish if there were any breaches of the councillor’s code of conduct.

“As a result of the internal investigation, none of these complaints have been upheld.

“Therefore, it has been established that there were no breaches of the councillor’s code of conduct.”

Councillor Quinn claimed that many who had watched the meeting had found the political discourse ‘unsatisfactory’ and suggested that the councillor’s code of conduct was ‘no longer fit for modern society’.

She also stated that she would be seeking clarity from the council about their statement earlier this week, which had included an assertion that evidence had not been found to support the idea that ‘council as a whole’ was not misogynistic.  

Councillor Quinn said: “I am grateful for the numerous members of the community, both men and women who reached out to me following the meeting to offer support. 

“Their message was very clear.

“The behaviour they witnessed in the chamber would not be tolerated in any other parts of society.

“So strong was this message, that the Gourock Community Council took a unanimous decision on Monday night to report the incident to the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

“Based upon these many conversations, it is my opinion that the behaviour of the councillors in question did not show Inverclyde in a good light. 

“In these challenging times of financial constraints, we need strong leadership which involves accountability, collaboration, and mutual respect. 

“We have so many problems to tackle and we need all 22 councillors to be allowed to contribute fully in the chamber, if we are to solve these.”