Liberal Democrats Slam Waste of Public Money as Council Leader is Exonerated By Standards Board

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 11th Oct 2005

Milton Keynes Liberal Democrats have branded the Standard Boards enquiry into Councillor Isobel McCall a complete waste of public money after the Board's investigation into allegations she had breached the Councillors' Code of Conduct.

After nearly twelve months and thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money funding the investigation and legal fees, the Adjudication Panel decided that Councillor McCall had not breached the Code of Conduct under any of the three allegations levelled against her.

After confidential information about a vulnerable child had been sent to a local paper by Labour Councillor Kevin Wilson, an internal investigation conducted by Milton Keynes Council's Head of Audit, Duncan Wilkinson, concluded that Councillor Wilson was in breach of the Councillors' Code of Conduct and the Data Protection Act and he was reported to the Standards Board.

Kevin Wilson was employed by the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) - an organisation funded by local authorities across the country - to promote good practice and responsibility in other local authorities. The findings of the internal audit report were sent to the IDeA by Isobel McCall because she was concerned that seriously inappropriate behaviour by a councillor employed by the IDeA could damage the IDeA's reputation.

Kevin Wilson then reported Isobel McCall to the Standards Board for taking her principled stance.

Jane Carr, Parliamentary Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, said: "I am delighted that this matter has been concluded. Isobel has been dragged through the mud during this enquiry for telling the truth and we all certainly look forward to seeing her continue as Leader of the Council. This was a purely politically motivated act by Kevin Wilson to try and discredit the Liberal Democrat Leader of the Council and to deflect heat away from his own investigation by the Standards Board. He was found to have breached the Code of Conduct and the Data Protection Act by releasing confidential information to the press about a vulnerable child. As a mother and social worker I am appalled at his irresponsible actions which could have had dire consequences for the family concerned."

Isobel McCall said: "I am pleased that my name has been cleared but frustrated at the waste of public money and resources this case has generated. It was brought against me for political reasons by Kevin Wilson, who himself has been found to have breached the Code of Conduct and was trying to deflect attention from his own irresponsible behaviour."