A protest will be held outside Thanet council’s Margate offices tomorrow (August 27) by Labour councillor Karen Constantine, Green party councillors, community groups and members of Ramsgate Action Group.
The action follows the reporting to the Standards committee of Cllr Constantine by council chief executive Madeline Homer
The report against Cllr Constantine was made after she spoke to The Isle of Thanet news about employment law and the need for councillors to be able to have an overview of staffing matters and a policy that promotes impartiality and clarity.
The reason for his suspension has not been confirmed by Thanet council. Mr Willis has been with the authority since 2015.
But the suspension has been heavily criticised.
Cllr Constantine was ordered to retract her statement but has refused. She said she “would not be bullied” and has since sought legal advice.
The protest, which will take place at 10am, will also be joined by RAG members who claim council monitoring officer Tim Howes has been intercepting emails from the group to councillors without permission,
RAG member Steve Coombes says a question submitted to Mr Howes on whether this is lawful remains unanswered after 10 months.
Lat year Thanet council said Mr Coombes had been “designated as a persistent, vexatious and unreasonable complainant on the grounds of ongoing pursuit of information based on unsubstantiated, false grounds.”
Mr Coombes has made complaints to police and the Parliamentary Investigatory Powers Commissioner and the matter is now being investigated. He has also sought legal advice and pre-action letters have been sent to Thanet council with the threat of launching court proceedings over accusations of breaching Civil Procedure Rules and defamation.
