Councillor falsely claimed resident had to be ‘physically restrained’ during meeting

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A councillor who falsely claimed a resident had to be “physically restrained” during a confrontation at a planning meeting has been cleared of wrongdoing.

John Paschoud, Labour member for Perry Vale in Lewisham, accused a member of a local community group of attempting to attack him and having to be held back by council staff in an email last year.

The individual, who was unnamed in the email, was later revealed to be Julia Webb, a member of the Bell Green Neighbourhood Forum, a group that campaigns on planning issues in the area.

Ms Webb said the councillor’s claims were untrue and lodged a complaint against him, arguing he had breached the code of conduct.

An internal council investigation dismissed Ms Webb’s complaint, despite finding that there was “no evidence the Complainant [Ms Webb] had to be physically restrained”, as claimed in cllr Paschoud’s email.

On Wednesday, September 20, a Lewisham council standards committee made up of cllr Paschoud’s fellow Labour councillors rubber-stamped the conclusions of the report compiled by town hall lawyer Melanie Dawson.

Announcing the conclusion of the investigation, Ms Dawson said: “There was no breach of the members’ code of conduct. In respect to the email that was sent, I concluded that the member [cllr Paschoud] was not disrespectful.”

But she added: “The language cllr Paschoud used in his email was upsetting to the complainant and in different circumstances may have placed him in breach of the code. I did not see any evidence that the claimant [Ms Webb] had to be physically restrained at the planning committee meeting.”

Ms Dawson’s report said Ms Webb approached the head table at the end of a planning meeting held at Lewisham council’s Catford headquarters in April 2022 because she was “distressed” at a decision it had made.  She was “angry, shouting, [and] swore” at cllr Paschoud, the report added.

But Ms Dawson concluded that “there was no physical attack perpetrated or attempted” by Ms Webb. The report added: “The manner, choice of wording and forum in which the subject member’s [cllr Paschoud’s] legitimate concerns were raised may not with hindsight have been the most appropriate means. The reference to an ‘attempted attack’ may have implied to those reading the email a physical attack.”

Ms Webb told the standards meeting she was disappointed the investigation had cleared cllr Paschoud of wrongdoing, despite it concluding there was no evidence she physically attacked him or had to be restrained.

Cllr Paschoud agreed with the investigation’s findings, but expressed frustration at the council’s handling of Ms Webb’s complaint.

He added: “I’m saddened that Julia feels so moved and upset by this and by what she perceives as other offences by me against her. I think that’s an indication she needs some help that probably none of us in this room are qualified to give.”

Before announcing the committee’s decision to accept the findings of the internal investigation, chairperson, cllr Hilary Moore, chided both cllr Paschoud and Ms Webb for their “inappropriate” language during the meeting.

She added: “We are going to agree and recommend that no breach of the code was committed by the subject member  as alleged by the complainant and therefore we are upholding the investigator’s finding as delineated to us this evening.”

Pictured top: Cllr John Paschoud was cleared of wrongdoing by Lewisham council’s standards committee (Picture: Lewisham Labour Party)