A Teignbridge councillor has accused a housing developer of ‘bully boy’ tactics after a complaint was made against him accusing him of breaching the Council Code of Conduct.

Harrington Homes boss Gareth Hughes submitted a complaint to Teignbridge District Council in May accusing Councillor David Cox of breaching the council’s code of conduct after he turned up late to an event for planners and councillors at the Teignbrook site on Wednesday, May 14, accompanied by a ‘member of the public’.

Mr Hughes claimed in the complaint that the ‘member of the public’ was local campaigner Judith Watt. However, Ms Watt was at Bitton House talking to residents following a public meeting she had organised to discuss concerns about the 255-home development.

Teignbridge District Council had issued a temporary stop notice on the development on May 2 after local residents reported concerns about waste being dumped in a nearby meadow. The stop notice, which was due to expire on June 27, also related to potential breaches of planning control relating to drainage and flood mitigation.

Teignbridge District Council subsequently lifted the stop notice a few weeks later.

Ms Watt responded to the accusation by saying that concerns about the attendance of the person who did accompany Councillor Cox to the meeting suggests that Harrington Homes was prepared to say something to councillors that it was not prepared to say to the general public and the media.

Councillor Cox accused Harrington Homes of being ‘bully boys’ who were using a tactic called ‘code of conduct chilling’ to ‘silence public engagement and democratic debate’.

‘The Councillor Code of Conduct is intended to uphold ethical standards and promote public trust in local government. However, increasingly, the Code is being misused to stifle opposition to development projects by falsely accusing councillors of breaching the Code,’ Councillor Cox claimed.

‘As an elected councillor, the public rightly have an expectation that I will actively represent their rights and interests. Advocating for local needs, and ensuring residents' voices are heard, is a core principle of what it means to be an elected representative,’ Councillor Cox continued.

‘It is sad that a Code intended to uphold ethical standards and promote public trust in local government is being abused by developers and the worst part is that local council-tax payers will foot the bill,’ he concluded.

The complaint also accuses Councillor Cox and MP Martin Wrigley of attempting to ‘gain access’ to the site ‘without having made an appointment’.

It is understood that Mr Wrigley and Councillor Cox attempted to gain access to the Harrington Homes construction site on Higher Exeter Road on Saturday, May 17. However, they were prevented from entering the site by Harrington Homes sales advisors.

Harrington Homes has not responded to requests for comment.