The chairman of Kingskerswell Parish Council has publically apologised to two of his colleagues and retracted a claim they were instrumental in referring another councillor to a standards watchdog. During a turbulent meeting in March, Cllr Norman Cooper said that recent 'upset and backstabbing' within the council was wholly attributable to the referral of Cllr John Hartley to the Standards Board for England for alleged misconduct. The blame for the referral had been lain at his door, he said, whereas in fact it had been a group decision. He named Cllrs Derek Miller and Gill Rawle as being among those who had originally agreed to the action but then chosen to attack him. 'They were completely in favour of it going through,' he said at the time. But Cllr Miller accused Cllr Cooper of slander and said he had not been present at the meeting. 'I knew nothing of it,' he said. The subject arose again this week when the council met on Monday. Cllr Miller said newspaper coverage of the spat had left people with a poor impression of him and Cllr Cooper's actions had been 'totally out of order'. But Cllr Cooper's reply that he would apologise 'if I was in error' was not enough for Cllr Rawle. 'A public apology would be in order and I would like you to write to the press and apologise via the Mid-Devon Advertiser,' she said. Cllr Cooper said he had apologised and that would be recorded in the minutes. Asked if he was retracting his words, he claimed he could not remember what he had actually said at the March meeting but then added: 'I will retract it then, Cllr Miller, if that is your will.' Prior to the exchange, a parishioner who had stormed out of last month's meeting after he became abusive towards Cllr Cooper on the same subject, had issued his own apology, promptly followed by a renewed attack. Dennis Bramble said he was sorry for losing his temper but that he had been goaded by Cllr Cooper 'telling an untruth'. With emotions rising on both sides, he said to Cllr Cooper: 'Are you big enough, man enough and honourable enough to apologise?' Cllr Cooper declined to provide an answer until the later challenge by Cllrs Miller and Rawle.
