PETERSFIELD Town Council stands on the "brink of collapse" in the wake of a bitter feud between councillors and officers, it was claimed this week. The statement came from Unison trade union regional organiser Mike Wilson, who is representing Petersfield town clerk Barbara Macken, her deputy Sue McMorran and four other council officers. Mr Wilson wrote to all town councillors earlier this year warning them that officers believed councillors were making their positions "almost untenable and their jobs almost impossible". And he told members of the town council that if there was complete breakdown of relations, officers would have no alternative but to take legal action. This week, following the resignation of Julie Butler - the councillor who headed the staff panel and was working to find a solution to the situation - Mr Wilson said he believed the town council was no nearer a solution than it had been three months ago. But his warnings have been dismissed by town mayor Vaughan Clarke, who denied the town council was about to break down and described threats of litigation as "not a terribly helpful suggestion". The council has been beset by confrontation and bad-tempered bickering for several months. A collective officer grievance against senior councillor Bob Ayer was heard behind closed doors in February and a report was made by South East Employers. Full council said its was not prepared to judge Mr Ayer and did not uphold or reject the grievance. But councillors said they wanted to bring in a set of recommendations to "aid harmonious relationships". Later the then town mayor, Brian Dutton, received a complaint against the town clerk and deputy from the chairman of the grounds committee, Chris Jenner. But the complaint was withdrawn and both sides apologised. In May rebel Tory councillor Aaron Baird announced he was not standing for any committees - instead he wanted to join the staff panel to sort out the "gigantic mess" at the council, which, he said, was plagued by rows, aggression and tantrums. It has since emerged that no fewer than five town councillors are currently under investigation by the Standards Board. This week Mr Wilson told The Herald the dispute had moved on in that ACAS, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, had become involved, but he said the resignation of Mrs Butler had been a set back. "Mrs Butler was doing essential work in drawing up protocols for how councillors and officers should behave, if this was drawn up and accepted by councillors it would help to resolve the difficulties," he said. "My feeling is that she wasn't getting any joy from her colleagues in the controlling group and that is why she resigned." "She did her utmost to resolve the situation and recognised there were difficulties. I do not think, however, that all of the councillors, by a long chalk, do recognise there is a problem." He said he was due to meet town council officers yesterday (Thursday) to discuss the next step. "What I want the council to do is to acknowledge that there have been problems and take measures to correct them," said Mr Wilson. "The first thing that would have to be introduced is this member/ officer protocol and we need someone to take up the baton." Mr Clarke told The Herald: "We met ACAS and we came up with a number of things that a number of us would do. I have done everything I promised to do and I have lost a lot of paid work time by doing it, but things I asked other people to do, not just councillors but staff as well, have not been done." He added: "I asked people to consider a proposal I had, which would definitely have eased the situation , but I was turned down flat." "I am still striving to sort things out , but it is very difficult when a number of people, both staff and officers, will not cooperate with what I want to do." He said he believed the situation could only be dealt with after the Standards Board had produced its reports. "We can't get round the table, because some of the people we need there are unable to attend because it would prejudice their own cases," he claimed. There were, he said, currently five councillors being investigated by the Standards Board. "The council is certainly not on the brink of collapse," he said. Mr Clarke said he would be happy to speak to ACAS again as it was a helpful organisation. "They don't solve problems but they talk to both sides and offer advice and everything I was asked to do by ACAS I have done." "I regard litigation as not a terribly helpful suggestion when negotiations could take place, but can't until the Standards Board has published its report," he said. Barbara Macken told The Herald this week that she felt unable to comment on the situation. In the meantime Mr Baird has told members of the finance and general purposes committee he is willing to fill the vacancy on the staff panel and to take the chair. "I've been very clear about my agenda. I will immediately negotiate a complete settlement acceptable to the town hall officers and put it to the full council for ratification. It is high time to end conclusively a prolonged crisis which has now preoccupied two mayoral years at the town council," he said. "Continued warfare with the officers is folly, and this lesson is just not being learned."
