Peterborough councillor's conduct hearing delayed

Independent councillor Kirsty Knight, who represents the Orton Waterville ward, was the subject of a complaint made by a member of the public regarding an interaction with Cllr Knight at their home

The city council's constitution and ethics sub-committee met on December 2 for a code of conduct hearing behind closed doors to consider the matter and determine what, if any, action should be taken - but this was adjourned to a later date.

A spokesperson for the council said: "Today's Constitution and Ethics Sub-Committee in relation to a complaint made against Councillor Kirsty Knight has been adjourned until December 17 at 12pm. This is to gain clarity around a point raised by the panel members."

The code of conduct hearing was previously due to take place on September 1, but the council postponed this to ensure all parties had “sufficient time to prepare”.

Peterborough City Council said a full investigation took place into the complaint after it was received in March this year.

It was alleged that Cllr Knight had breached a number of aspects of the council’s code of conduct, including bullying, harassment and discrimination.

After the investigation, it was concluded by deputy monitoring officer Ben Stevenson that Cllr Knight had breached the code of conduct by ‘bringing herself into disrepute through her actions, which misrepresented the council’.

The full investigation report was not published by the council due to the possible identification of individuals.

Cllr Knight has denied any wrongdoing.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It is regrettable that my code of conduct hearing has now been postponed for the third time due to technical issues.

"Such repeated interruptions highlight the ongoing challenges in how the council manages these proceedings.

"Perhaps fourth time lucky, I remain fully prepared to participate and hope the next hearing can finally proceed without further delay."