Council complaint over debt row councillor dismissed

A code of conduct complaint against a senior councillor, caught up in a dispute over an unpaid debt, has been dismissed.

Redcar and Cleveland Council confirmed it had received a complaint against Labour's Adam Brook, after a charity he chairs was handed a county court judgement (CCJ).

The CCJ related to an unpaid bill of £3,694 owed to a coach company, which has since been paid.

The Labour-led authority said the complaint did not relate to Mr Brook's work as a councillor, and therefore did not meet the criteria for being progressed further.

Mr Brook, who sits on the council's cabinet with responsibility for neighbourhoods, has apologised.

The Grangetown ward councillor said he was responsible for a breakdown in communication during the dispute.

He also claimed that, as a designated contact for Grangetown Generations, he never received paperwork associated with the county court judgement in default.

The CCJ was secured against the charity by Middlesbrough-based Jack's Coaches.

Managing director Paul Pearson said the firm had been hired to transport people to Bridlington, Blackpool and the Lightwater Valley theme park but was met with "excuses" when it tried to chase up payments.

Mr Brook, who founded the charity which aims to improve the lives of local residents, said there were "no ill intentions" and the money had been paid.

He previously said the charity had been dealing with “bank issues” that caused the payment to go “awry”.

He was unavailable for further comment when previously approached by the Local Democracy Reporting Service over the row.

Mr Brook has also been made subject to an internal Labour Party investigation.

A council spokesperson said: "The law and guidance supporting the code of conduct make it clear that, in basic terms, it applies only where an elected member is carrying out the functions of a councillor.

"In this case the matters forming the subject of the complaint relate to an external organisation and activities undertaken in a private capacity.

"On that basis, the monitoring officer has determined that the complaint fails the jurisdictional assessment and cannot progress further."

County court judgements in default can be set aside if it is successfully argued, with reasons, they have been wrongly made.

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