Attleborough Town councillors told to put phones in kitchen because they suspect one of them is bugging meetings
Members of a troubled town council have been told to put their phones in the kitchen during meetings because they suspect one of them is bugging their conversations.
The protocol has been introduced at Attleborough Town Council following suspicions that one of the councillors has been secretly recording discussions and leaking details.
The authority has been in the headlines in recent weeks as a result of an extraordinary feud with locals in the town, who have criticised a series of unpopular decisions.
They are also angry at the handling of a scandal involving one of its members who has been charged with breaking the window of a shop in the town centre.
Its meetings are held in public and several recent ones have descended into shouting, insults and accusations flung between councillors and locals, resulting in the town being nicknamed ‘Aggro-borough’.
The new protocol about phones being left in the kitchen next to the council chamber relates to ‘under the line’ parts of the meetings, where the public can be excluded and confidential matters discussed.
The authority has offered no evidence for its claim that meetings are being recorded and information leaked.
The Diss Express, which has reported the ongoing acrimony, is not aware of any covert recordings from meetings.
PARANOID COUNCILLORS
The rule has been introduced by council clerk Sharon Smyth, who claims “confidential information” was leaked following a meeting in April.
During the public session, councillors had vented their frustration at having been criticised by locals on social media.
Samantha Taylor – who sits on the council along with father, John, and daughter, Taila – said her family had been abused online over a disagreement with another councillor, Daniel Burcham, about a pub they own in the town.
The press and public were excluded from the end of the meeting, where it was agreed to offer therapy sessions for councillors.
Details from this discussion were included in the minutes of the meeting, published by the clerk several weeks later.
It is not clear what information the clerk suspects was leaked through phone recordings.
The restrictions for councillors were not brought in at the next meeting, on May 12, but at the most recent session on June 2.
The clerk informed members there had been a “leak of confidential information” and asked them all to place their mobile phones in the kitchen.
One councillor, Nigel Thwaites, left the meeting at this point, apparently in annoyance at the suspected breach.
He said: “Matters are discussed below the line for a reason.”
ANARCHY IN ATTLEBOROUGH
Tensions have been growing between locals and the town council over recent months and have reached a boiling point at recent meetings, with discussions descending into heckling and calls for resignations.
Members of the public have been angered by a number of local issues as well as the handling of the prosecution of Stephen Fraser, a councillor who was recently charged with criminal damage.
Mr Fraser, who also sits on Breckland Council, was arrested after the window of Richard Allington Kitchens in the town centre was found smashed in April.
A CCTV recording later emerged showing follow councillor Taila Taylor at the scene of the incident.
She is not facing any police action but members of the public have questioned why she did not report the matter at the time. She has said she did not witness any damage being caused.
Tensions between the town and the council then flared further following the controversial agreement later that month to fund therapy for any councillors who felt they needed it.
There has also been criticism of councillors over non-council activities, including their business dealings.
Several social media pages have been set up to lambast the authority for what critics say is its reluctance to address complaints, with sites showing cartoon depictions of some members.
However, the councillors themselves argue they are being unfairly targeted in what they describe as a “campaign of hate” and have taken on their critics.
During the most recent meeting, Ms Smyth said the Taylors had experienced members of the public banging on their windows and doors, had their car headlights smashed, and claimed Taila Taylor had been “bitten” by a customer at their pub, the London Tavern.
She also said Mr Fraser had been called a “w****r” and “c**t” in the street, slapped in the face, and had the bolts removed from his car wheels.
The council is currently seeking legal advice regarding the social media posts made about councillors and has suggested some of these may be libellous.
Mr Fraser, who has resigned from the Conservative Party since being charged, is due to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court next month after an earlier hearing was adjourned.
