A Peterborough city councillor breached the council’s code of conduct following a complaint from a resident, a panel has ruled.

A meeting of the council’s Constitution and Ethics Sub-Committee took place on Wednesday 21 January) to determine a complaint made by a resident against Councillor Kirsty Knight.

While full details of the complaint have not been released publicly, the council said the complaint was made against Councillor Knight in March 2025 by a resident regarding an interaction at the resident’s home.

Peterborough City Council said that following presentation of the evidence both in writing (including representations made by Councillor Knight) and orally at the hearing and written correspondence recently submitted by Cllr Knight, the panel found that Councillor Knight had breached the code of conduct in relation to:

(i) 3.1.2 Bullying – the panel found Cllr Knight has breached the Code in relation to bullying. The panel do not find that Cllr Knight harassed and/or discriminated against the complainant;

(ii) 3.1.5 Disrepute – the panel found that Cllr Knight has brought her Office as a Councillor into disrepute. The panel do not find that Cllr Knight has brought the Council into disrepute; and

(iii) 3.1.6 Use of Position – the panel found that Cllr Knight abused her position as a councillor

The Sub-Committee meeting followed an investigation by the council that concluded that the Members’ Code of Conduct had been breached, and that alternative or informal resolution was not appropriate.

The committee ruled that cllr Knight – who represents the Orton Waterville ward – must now issue a written apology to the complainant and an apology to Full Council, and undertake appropriate training on the member code of conduct.

It has also been recommended that cllr Knight is removed from the role of Chair of the Council’s Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee.

Following the hearing, cllr Knight told The Peterborough Telegraph that she said she ‘had done nothing wrong,’ and was taking the process of the hearing up with the ombudsman.

She thanked residents for supporting her during the process, which has been running for several months – with a number of hearings postponed.