More Investigations for New Council

THE new Upper Hunter Shire Council will begin its term in the shadow of several investigations following what has been described as ‘appalling behaviours’ towards a candidate and allegations of drug use and underage drinking at the Merriwa Youth Centre.

The Council has committed to investigating both matters, Mr Garment is now taking legal action in relation to defamation and calls for police to investigate the allegations at the Merriwa Youth Centre are yet to be confirmed.

At the first meeting of the new Council Lee Watts described the treatment of candidate Liam Garment during the Council election campaign as appalling and called for an investigation by Council into current Councillors and council staff who may have participated in those behaviours or observed them from others.

“Like many people in the community I was just appalled that there was a smear campaign against a candidate, people should try to win in the election based on promoting their own strengths rather than trying to discredit other people and use bullying and harassment,” said Mrs Watts.

“I was so embarrassed to be a Councillor during that behaviour and I actually spoke with the Mayor about resigning from the Upper Hunter Shire Council, because I just won’t be party to that kind of culture, it’s just not acceptable,” she said.

“Now that the election is over I do want it investigated what role if any Council staff and Councillors had in terms of bad mouthing the candidate and what knowledge they had of the Daily Telegraph article, there was clearly someone or a group of people behind that terrible behaviour and they should be held to account and dealt with accordingly,” Lee Watts said.

While Mayor Wayne Bedggood has confirmed Council will investigate he said it is unlikely to result in any action from Council as he believes any such actions by current Councillors probably occurred during caretaker mode when they were no longer officially Councillors and so would not be subject to the usual Council code of conduct.

Mr Garment said he was not surprised by the Mayor’s remarks and confirmed a legal firm has taken on his case for defamation.

He has been advised the case is likely to end up in the High Court and may take three or four years, but he is prepared to pursue justice and make the source of the story in the Daily Telegraph accountable.

Mrs Watts made a commitment at the Merriwa candidates forum that she would go back to Council’s general manager and inform police of the community concerns about drug and alcohol use at the Merriwa Youth Centre.

However, after speaking with Council’s general manager Waid Crockett, Mrs Watts said she had left him to liaise further with police and has received no further update from Mr Crockett on the matter.

scone.com.au also asked the Mayor if Cr Campbell’s allegations during the public Council meeting that Mr Garment had bullied at pre-poll were being investigated, but a response was not received before publication.

Related Stories:

• Council Meeting: September 2016 – September 27, 2016;
• Standing by the Truth – September 9, 2016;
• Opinion: Grubby Politics – September 9, 2016, and
• Merriwa Residents Question Candidates – August 25, 2016.