Council member quits in bullying scandal

A senior councillor has resigned amidst a bullying scandal that has taken hold of Newcastle City Council.

Transcript

00:00A Newcastle City Council cabinet member has resigned following accusations of bullying

00:04against the council's leader. Alex Hay, the councillor for Kingston Park and New Biggin

00:09Hall, has resigned in support of Michelle Percy, a senior director who brought the bullying

00:13allegations against council leader Nick Kemp. Mr Hay is rumoured to be the first of many

00:17councillors to step down in support of Ms Percy, while Mr Kemp has taken a temporary

00:21leave of absence due to ill health.

00:24Colin Ferguson, leader of the city's Liberal Democrat opposition, has called for an urgent

00:27probe into the matter, stating that the public needs assurance that the council can still

00:31be run effectively. This isn't the first accusation of bullying within Newcastle City

00:35Council since Mr Kemp took over in 2022, with multiple councillors resigning in 2023 over

00:40the same issue.

00:43Council Chief Executive Pat Smith has previously refused to deny there being a toxic atmosphere

00:47in the authority when questioned by the council's audit committee. The council is yet to decide

00:52if it will launch an investigation into itself, with Mr Kemp having been given time to reply

00:56to the accusations before any further decisions are made.