Trowbridge councillor in 'corruption' row has claim dismissed

Without naming him, the town council accused Cllr Antonio Piazza of making a statement on his Facebook page including “a number of falsehoods and one very serious accusation”.

The complaint was lodged by Lance Allan, the chief executive of Trowbridge Town Council, with approval from Liberal Democrat councillors who were outraged by the Conservative's remarks.

Cllr Piazza said the dismissal of the “unwarranted complaint” by Wiltshire Council’s monitoring officer has affirmed his commitment to transparency.

He added: "This dismissal is not only a vindication of my actions but also an affirmation of every councillor's right to voice genuine concerns regarding governance and council activities.

“The freedom to express dissatisfaction and criticise where necessary is paramount in a democratic society.

"The original commentary and subsequent discussions were never aimed at undermining individuals but were targeted at the systemic issues that persist within our council’s decision-making processes and fiscal management.

"I am elated and validated by the decision taken by Wiltshire Council to dismiss this baseless complaint."

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Cllr Stewart Palmen, the Trowbridge Town Council leader, described the decision as a “sad day” for local politics.

He said: "I am extremely disappointed that the monitoring officer has not supported our code of conduct and has clearly stated that it effectively has no value as the right to ‘Freedom of Speech’ overrules it, especially if you are a ‘politician’.

“So it is fine to call our town council corrupt without any supporting evidence or report to the police.

“As we approach the next local elections for Trowbridge, and it is now clear that lying about the town council is totally acceptable for councillors, we will see all sorts of alternative facts used in political leaflets and social media with no consequence for those writing them. It is a sad day for local politics in Trowbridge.”

Cllr Stewart Palmen said the dismissal of the complaint was a sad day for local politics. (Image: Freelancer)

Cllr Piazza had commented on or around August 31 on the town council’s plans to ask for an increase in the £3.9 million loan for the Doric Park all-weather pitch project.

He accused the council of making mistakes in its project management of the Civic Centre and alleged the council’s project management practices were poor.

In addition, he claimed the council has the largest parish debt in the UK and made a very serious allegation that the council was 'corrupt'.

Mr Allan lodged a complaint saying the comments effectively accused him personally of being corrupt by virtue of his roles of proper officer and responsible finance officer.

He said the comments undermined and denigrated him and his office, and thereby failed to treat him with respect as required under the code.

Mr Allan also accused Cllr Piazza of bullying him and questioning his impartiality, as well as publishing information that denigrates the council and its officers, and making deceitful and dishonest accusations bringing the council into disrepute.

But Wiltshire Council’s monitoring officer has dismissed the complaint after finding the allegations to be unsubstantiated.

The officer’s report said: “The detailed evaluation found these allegations to be unsubstantiated and recognised that, if proven, they would not constitute a breach of the code. Thus, no further action will be pursued.

“If the subject member had publicly accused the complainant or another individual as being ‘corrupt’ then that could have reached the threshold of representing a failure to treat them with respect. However, the word was clearly used to describe ‘the council’ as a whole.

He added: “The post does not provide any evidence that the council has acted in such a way.”