North Yorkshire Police commissioner faces complaints over conduct

North Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is to be quizzed over complaints understood to relate to conduct.

Julia Mulligan will appear before a police and crime panel complaints committee later.

While the nature of the allegations have not been disclosed, they are understood to relate to Mrs Mulligan's conduct and that of staff.

A spokesman for the PCC said they were unable to comment in advance.

The meeting at County Hall in Northallerton will be held in private due to "the likely disclosure of exempt information".

The hearing comes two months after York councillor Peter Dew resigned from the panel accusing Mrs Mulligan of treating its members with "little disguised contempt".

In advance of the hearing, both Mrs Mulligan and those behind the complaints have been invited to make a statement to support their position and answer questions, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Should the panel find against the Conservative commissioner it does not have the power to impose formal sanctions.

It can, however, publish a report or recommendation.

A spokesman for Mrs Mulligan said: "In relation to the complaint, there is very little we can say at this stage.

"It is a police and crime panel process and, as such, we are unable to say anything in advance as it might interfere with that."

Possible outcomes of such hearings include that there has been no fault by the commissioner, that there has been insufficient injustice or that the commissioner is asked to consider giving an apology or reflect upon practices in her office.