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Hillingdon Council will consider a review of its constitution to address councillor behaviour online.
This comes after the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed that the Deputy Leader of Hillingdon Council, Cllr Richard Mills, had been using a pseudonym to communicate with residents as if he were a member of the public. This included referring to campaigners as “the usual rent a crowd” and pretending to be a Reform voter in West Drayton.
At a meeting of the full council on Thursday, September 24, Daniel O’Neill, a Ruislip resident, asked if the Council Leader, Cllr Steve Tuckwell, would “commit to a review of Chapter 25 (of the Constitution), so that it addresses how councillors are expected to conduct themselves when communicating publicly online more generally - including on social media accounts, regardless of the device used, when discussing council business or speaking in their capacity as a councillor - and, in particular, ensures councillors are required to identify themselves honestly when doing so?”
In response, Cllr Tuckwell, sat next to Cllr Richard Mills, said he would ask the Head of Democratic Services “to consider a review”. He said: “The council already has a number of codes and requirements governing members' conduct which extend beyond Chapter 25 of the Constitution.
"That said, it is entirely reasonable that our constitutional provisions are kept under review and reflect the way members communicate today. I will therefore ask the Head of Democratic Services to consider Chapter 25 through the council’s established constitutional review arrangements.”
That chapter's main concern relates to dial-up internet connections, but it does not mention broadband, Wi-Fi or mobile data. It comments on desktop computers connected to the council's network and removable media such as CDs, but does not mention smartphones or tablets.
Its only reference to a councillor’s own equipment concerns accessing email through a council security facility, not a smartphone used to post publicly. When it mentions informal online discussion, its examples are chat rooms and newsgroups; it has no concept of a social media post, comment, reply, or profile, real or pseudonymous.
The chapter's only rule requiring a councillor to identify themselves honestly online states: "Members using the council computer facilities must identify themselves honestly, accurately and completely and must not impersonate any other person particularly when in chat rooms or newsgroups, or when setting up accounts on outside computer systems."
According to Hillingdon Council, that rule “cannot apply to a councillor using a social media account on a smartphone, even when that account is being used to discuss council business or to speak in their capacity as a councillor”.
Whilst appearing under a pseudonym, Cllr Richard Mills posted an AI caricature of Cllr Sital Punja - an image she has claimed promotes racist tropes - something Cllr Mills and the Hillingdon Conservatives reject.
This was also discussed at the meeting in a motion tabled by Cllr Punja which sought to update the Members’ Code of Conduct to include provisions on bullying, harassment, discrimination and the application of the code to social media and electronic communication. The motion failed, with the Conservatives voting against it, and Labour, Reform, Green and the Independents voting in favour.
Speaking in the chamber, Cllr Punja said: “It is clear that our code of conduct, as it stands, is failing to deliver. We have had real complaints relating to bullying, racism, sexism and conduct on social media, including AI generated images. However, those complaints are not met with a robust Code of Conduct
In response to Cllr Punja, Cllr Adam Bennett described her concerns as “the latest in her long running diary of grievances”. He said: “...it is wrong for her to continue to use this chamber and these repeated motions to publicise her own personal battles, rather than debating issues and topics which really matter to residents.
“There is no genuine concern for behavioural standards in this motion. It's purely being used as a vehicle to continue a farcical, ongoing smear campaign against certain Conservative councillors that has played out in the press, via e-mail, on social media over the past few weeks and even tonight in this room…. She who wields the knife, she'll never wear the crown. I do not support this motion.”
Cllr Bennett's comments prompted the Leader of Hillingdon Labour, Cllr Stuart Mathers, to intervene in defence of his former deputy. He said: “I just want to make it extremely clear that Cllr Punja is putting a motion on behalf of the Labour Group.
“The Labour Group supports this motion and will be voting for this motion and to characterise it as something of a trivial or personal agenda is completely absurd. This is about improving standards in public life and they should be brought forward now rather than being left for a model constitution, model rules that will come out at a later date.”
Concluding her motion, Cllr Punja responded: “Today, my motion is about improving councillor conduct and standards, regardless of what Councillor Bennett thinks. So it's truly disappointing that this chamber and the Conservative administration who talks about being brilliant at basics falls at the first hurdle of basics, which is governance.”
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