Peterborough councillor faces code of conduct hearing after complaint from member of public

A Peterborough city councillor will face a code of conduct hearing after a complaint was made from a member of the public.

The complaint was made in March this year against Independent Councillor Kirsty Knight, who represents the Orton Waterville ward, by a member of the public regarding an interaction with Cllr Knight at their home.

A report to be put before a hearing panel of Peterborough City Council’s constitution and ethics sub-committee on September 1 stated that a full investigation took place into the complaint.

It was alleged that Cllr Knight had breached a number of aspects of the council’s code of conduct.

After a full 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 due to the possible identification of individuals.

The press and public are excluded from the hearing on September 1 at Sand Martin House in Peterborough on similar grounds.

A hearing panel will consider the matter and determine what, if any, action should be taken.

Cllr Knight told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This is a very upsetting situation, and I will be strongly contesting the allegations made against me. My actions were taken entirely in good faith, with the sole intention of assisting a disabled resident in our community.

“If, inadvertently, my actions have caused the complainant any upset, I would of course apologise for that, however, I remain clear that I acted responsibly, proportionately, and in line with my duty as a councillor to protect accessibility and support those who need it most.”