Peterborough councillors turn air blue with swearing during Full Council meeting

Cllr Darren Fower (Labour) apologised for being late by saying: “The bus services are absolutely s**** in this city sometimes.”

When Cllr Fower wasn’t asked to apologise by the mayor, Cllr Chris Ash, Tory Cllr David Seaton used the same swear word, he said, to “emphasise that fact”.

He added that he only swore after the watershed when “far worse language will be heard on television,” and that he submitted a motion at the meeting about strengthening the council’s Code of Conduct which will look at language.

Cllr Fower said he does not believe swearing should “become the norm at council meetings” but that “due to another poor experience with the local bus service I was admittedly exacerbated”. He added that he apologised in the meeting.

One mother listening to the live stream said her son (6) had picked up the word from being in earshot.

The council has no rules for bad language, and has not received any complaints. Cllr Ash says he did not believe the language was bad enough to warrant action, but when asked by the PT did not state which words he would not allow.