Coleman's appeal against standards committee ruling rejected (From Times Series)

Councillor Brian Coleman's appeal against Barnet Council's standards committee ruling rejected

12:34pm Friday 17th August 2012 in News By Chris Hewett

An independent ruling that Councillor Brian Coleman broke the members’ code of conduct by sending rude emails has been upheld on appeal.

The controversial Tory labelled one member of the public a Nazi “blackshirt” and “anti-Zionist” in the correspondence, sent in February.

He also sent abrupt email replies to another member of the public whom he accused of being “anti-Israeli”.

Cllr Coleman was reprimanded in March by Barnet Council’s standards sub-committee, which found he had broken a section of the members’ code that states councillors “must treat others with respect”.

The committee ordered he must submit a written apology to both complainants within 14 days of the hearing.

The Totteridge representative appealed the decision but at a first-tier tribunal hearing on August 8, judge Sally Lister upheld the standards committee’s decision.

At the time of the remarks, Cllr Coleman was a member of the GLA, the environment portfolio holder on Barnet Council’s cabinet committee and chair of the London Fire Authority.

The standards hearing came at the start of a turbulent few months for the outspoken Conservative.

In April he was twice investigated over separate allegations that he misused his members’ parking permit and swore at a member of the public during a council meeting.

Hearings for both allegations are still pending.

He later lost his seat on the GLA during May’s elections and was subsequently stripped of his seat on the London Fire Authority and sacked as the environment portfolio holder.