Alliance MLA’s apology for breaching code of conduct

Alliance MLA’s apology for breaching code of conduct

21 February 2024

SOUTH Down MLA Patrick Brown, who admitted breaching the code of conduct for elected representatives, has been censured by the Local Government Commissioner for Standards.

Mr Brown has issued a written apology following the watchdog’s probe into comments he made on social media about an interview process for Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s chief executive.

The Alliance MLA has apologised to the selection panel for undermining its role and suggesting that the panel made a choice of chief executive based on political lines.

Mr Brown said in a statement that he accepted that the selection process was merit-based and that his comments were “open to alternative interpretation”.

He outlined how he believed councillors on the selection panel had voted on the appointment of Mrs Marie Ward as the local authority’s chief executive in 2019 when she replaced Liam Hannaway.

It prompted Mr Hannaway to make a complaint to the standards commissioner about the former Rowallane councillor, who was elected to the Assembly in 2022.

Mr Hannaway said the allegations brought the council’s recruitment process into disrepute and had the potential to damage relationships between Mrs Ward and parties on the council.

The outcome of the investigation found that Mr Brown breached a number of rules, including sections of the code which state representatives “must not conduct yourself in a way which could reasonably be regarded as bringing your position as a councillor, or your council, into disrepute.”

The rules also stipulate that elected representatives must comply with 

any request of the Commissioner in connection with an investigation conducted in accordance with the Commissioner’s statutory powers and “must work responsibly and with respect, with others and with employees of councils”.

The report concluded that suspension would have been considered if Mr Brown was still a councillor.

It stated that the assistant commissioner, Ian Gordon, “noted that while the former councillor’s actions did not warrant disqualification, he would have considered a short period of suspension to be an appropriate sanction”.

The report added: “However, as he [Mr Brown] is no longer a serving councillor this was not an option, so in the circumstances, censure was the correct sanction.”

Mr Brown was previously convicted of drink-driving before topping the poll to retain his council seat in May 2019.

He was banned from driving after being caught riding his motorbike under the influence two years earlier.

It later emerged that his former party colleague, Patricia O’Lynn, was a passenger on the motorcycle when Mr Brown was stopped by police and breathalysed just days after the March 2017 Stormont election.

Mr Gordon acknowledged that incident as a further breach of the code but said the complaint about his social media comments was markedly different – meaning it was not necessary to take the drink driving into account.

Mr Brown also agreed to apologise to Mr Hannaway in relation to an email sent to him in 2019.

“I accept that this was not appropriate and I apologise for suggesting in that email that the selection process was political,” Mr Brown said in a joint position document.

Mr Brown also recognised that asking Mr Hannaway to “withdraw the complaint was not appropriate.”

Imposing censure, the Commissioner described the breaches of the code as “serious” but accepted Mr Brown’s proposal to address the dispute and apologise.

An Alliance Party spokesman said: “We welcome the resolution of this case, which dates back five years, and which is agreed amongst all parties.

“It is also important to note the case, which relates to a social media post about the lack of representation on a recruitment panel for the council chief executive, was not taken to a public hearing, which reflects the level of the agreed breach.”