The Brentford councillor is alleged to have made the comment during a council meeting on Tuesday (November 25)
A West London councillor is facing a call to resign after she allegedly told an opposition councillor to “f*** off” at full council meeting on Tuesday (November 25). Cllr Katherine Dunne has said she doesn’t recall making the comment.
Cllr Dunne, Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport at Hounslow Council, is alleged to have made the comment towards Cllr Ron Mushiso during a heated meeting that saw the Mayor pause proceedings and issue a warning.
Cllr Joanna Biddolph raised a point of order with the Mayor seconds after Cllr Dunne finished a speech, alleging that someone had sworn. Cllr Mushisho then told the meeting: “I’ve been sworn at, in the public meeting by Cllr Dunne.”
The Mayor, Cllr Amy Croft, then directed him to raise it with the monitoring officer after the meeting.
A spokesperson for the Hounslow Conservatives has told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the group believes Cllr Dunne should resign. They added: “At the start of every meeting, the Mayor reminds us of the need for civility.
“At the start of this council term, both political groups even brought forward a joint motion on ‘Debate Not Hate’. Clearly, it’s one rule for Labour councillors, and another rule for everyone else.
“Residents rightly expect the highest standards from elected councillors, and also expect that their representatives will be able to go about the job they’ve been elected to do without fear of abuse. Cllr Dunne must urgently apologise for her behaviour and reflect on whether someone who acts in this way can continue as a cabinet member.”
Cllr Dunne has denied it happened. Both sides of the chamber were engaged in heckling and interrupting during Tuesday’s meeting, which the LDRS watched live online. This culminated in the Mayor having to take the unprecedented step to adjourn the meeting for five minutes, urging councillors to calm down and behave appropriately.
A Hounslow Labour spokesperson told the LDRS: “[Tuesday night’s] meeting saw the Conservative Group reach a new low.
“Despite repeated warnings, their continued heckling and disruption led to the meeting being suspended part way through the agenda. This included repeated targeting of a senior female councillor, both during and after her speech.
“The targeted and sustained heckling of a female councillor by a boorish Tory boy’s club, is something no sitting councillor should have to endure. Councillor Dunne does not recall using any offensive language.”
The controversy at Hounslow comes only days after a member was forced to apologise and resign his position as a committee chair, after the LDRS revealed he had parked a Lamborghini SUV in disabled bays at the council offices without a Blue Badge on two occasions. Cllr Farhaan Rehman offered to donate £160 to the Mayor’s charities.
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