TEIGNBRIDGE Council has been described as ‘institutionally misogynist’ by a councillor who says she has suffered years of bullying and harassment.

Independent councillor Jane Taylor, a retired police Chief Inspector, has been a counncillor since 2023 and represents Kerswell-with-Coombe, near Newton Abbot.

She told a full council meeting: ‘My experience has been of bullying and harassment throughout the whole of my time here.’

She said she had received an anonymous letter from council officers describing a culture of bullying and inappropriate behaviour.

‘Those victims, some of whom are still off sick, are all women,’ she said.

Then, she said, she was sent a legal letter telling her to ‘shut up’ and destroy anything she had received.

In response, the council says it is committed to maintaining an inclusive and supportive workplace, and takes any allegations of bullying, harassment or discrimination very seriously.

Cllr Taylor made the claims during a debate on members’ conduct after reading an independent report into Teignbridge’s catalogue of problems.

The report highlighted ‘severe weaknesses’ dating back to 2020, and described poor behaviour, fractured relationships and a lack of trust.

The report spotlights poor relationships between councillors and officers, as well as ‘combative’ social media and in one case a physical altercation between two councillors during a meeting.

Relationships between members and council staff were ‘strained’, and officers reported feeling bullied. The report says there have been substantial improvements since late in 2024, with better cross-party working.

Council chair Robert Steemson said he hoped the report would mark a ‘line in the sand’ and added: ‘This council will not be here for much longer, and how we end our time will be our legacy to the district.’

Along with all of Devon’s other district councils, Teignbridge faces being axed in the forthcoming Local Government Reorganisation process to be replaced by a larger unitary authority.

Council leader Richard Keeling said the council had learned lessons and was listening, and Cllr David Palethorpe said while the report had made for ‘uncomfortable’ reading, the council should respond in a calm and professional way.

But Cllr Andrew McGregor said the report was a ‘spectacular exercise in petulance’ and warned of legal action if the council voted to adopt it.

Cllr Richard Daws added: 'I’d be happy with this report if it was independent and balanced, but it isn’t. I thought we had moved on, but the report is one-sided and biased, and I am very sorry it has seen the light of day.’

Cllr Liam Mullone went on: ‘This is not a line in the sand. It’s a massive scab-picking exercise that is just going to bring everything back again. I suggest we just bin this exercise in nonsense.’

And Cllr Chris Clarance told the meeting: ‘This has opened a big wound which should be behind us and forgotten about. The sooner we can put this behind us, the better.

‘It is like a history lesson into what has gone on in the past, and it is not a very good one.’

A motion by Cllr Paul Parker to ‘note’ the report and refer it to another committee was defeated, and the meeting voted instead to accept the report and its recommendations.

After the meeting a Teignbridge spokesperson said the council could not comment on individual cases or correspondence, but wanted to make it clear that it did not tolerate inappropriate behaviour of any kind and had clear policies and procedures in place to address concerns raised by both councillors and officers.

The statement continued: ‘We actively promote a positive and inclusive working culture. In our most recent annual staff survey, 92 per cent of respondents said they had not experienced bullying or harassment at work in the previous 12 months.

‘The same proportion also said they had not experienced discrimination during that period.

‘Staff wellbeing is a key priority for the council.

‘We provide a range of support, including a wellbeing hub, active welfare groups, an employee assistance programme, mental health first aiders, recognised trade unions, a member development programme, and a wide range of training opportunities.

‘We are committed to supporting women to progress into leadership roles within the organisation, and women make up half of our senior leadership team. Our most recent reporting also showed no gender pay gap at the council.

‘We also work closely with partners, including the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, to support work tackling violence against women and girls.

‘Creating and maintaining a safe, respectful and inclusive working environment will always be a priority for Teignbridge District Council, and we will continue to ensure that concerns are handled seriously, fairly and appropriately.’