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Note Of Decision Web Version

Complaint no. LA/R/56 Concerning an alleged contravention of the Councillors' Code of Conduct by Councillor Richard Manser of Renfrewshire Council

1. Complaint number LA/R/56 alleged a contravention of the Councillors' Code of Conduct ("the Code") by Councillor Richard Manser ("the respondent") who is an elected member of Renfrewshire Council ("the Council").

2. It was alleged that the respondent had contravened the Code in particular, section 2 on Leadership.

3. The person complaining ("the complainant") alleged that he e-mailed the respondent some questions regarding a highways matter. The respondent replied by declining to answer the questions and purporting to know the complainant as he had e-mailed... in the past on other concerns. He said he would not enter into lengthy and protracted dialogues with the complainant. In fact the complainant had not had any previous correspondence with the respondent and had been mistakenly identified as a person who had. The complainant inferred that as a result the respondent had made negative and unwarranted assumptions about him and his correspondence. The complainant immediately corrected the respondent's mistake and asked for an apology but received no response or apology.

4. During my investigation the respondent acknowledged his mistake in writing and offered his apologies to the complainant.

5. Although Councillor Manser did not respond properly to the complainant, I found this amounted to a lack of service to his constituent rather than a breach of the Councillors' Code of Conduct.

6. I therefore concluded that Councillor Richard Manser had not contravened the Councillors' Code of Conduct.

D Stuart Allan,
Chief Investigating Officer.
Forsyth House
Innova Campus
Rosyth Europarc
Rosyth
Fife
KY11 2UU
22 December 2004