MAYOR'S RACIST OUTBURST REPORTED TO NATIONAL COUNCILLORS' WATCHDOG

7.30.45am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 28th Apr 2003

Liberal Democrat councillor Stephen Knight has reported Richmond upon Thames Mayor Douglas Orchard to the Standards Board for England following Cllr Orchard's racially inflammatory statements to the local press.

Councillor Stephen Knight said: "I was shocked by Councillor Orchard's statement to the Richmond Informer. The Mayor is supposed to represent all the citizens of the borough in a non-controversial, non-partisan way. "

"Councillor Orchard's inflammatory remarks about nationality and immigration are totally abhorrent. He does not speak for me and I firmly believe he doesn't speak for Richmond upon Thames either."

"He has clearly broken the Code of Conduct for Councillors and therefore I felt a moral as well as a legal duty to make a formal complaint about his conduct to the Standards Board for England.

As the chair of Richmond's own Standards Committee he can hardly claim he doesn't understand the Code of Conduct! His comments have brought the Council, and the office of Mayor, into Disrepute and may also have put the Council in breach of the Race Relations laws.

Councillor Knight continued: "He should now publicly withdraw his remarks and make a full and unconditional apology to the many people his statement has offended."

Councillors are bound by a national Code of Conduct, which places all councillors under a general obligation to "promote equality", to carry out their duties "with proper consideration for the need to promote equality of treatment and opportunity for all people" and to "treat others with respect."

In addition the Council as a whole has a legal duty to "promote equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different racial groups."

The Standards Board for England has the power to refer a complaint about a breach of the Code of Conduct to an Adjudication Panel, which can disqualify a councillor from office for up to five years.