Friday 25 February 2022

East Riding Council will take any allegations of bullying of staff extremely seriously, its leader has said. Cllr Jonathan Owen, the council’s Conservative Leader, told this week’s full meeting of the council that all reports of bullying from staff would be investigated. 

Cllr Owen’s comments come after a draft report from the Local Government Association reported claims of bullying from senior council officers and unusually controlling behaviour during a visit by a six-strong team late last year. And as previously reported by Beverley FM, the draft report also suggested power was concentrated in the hands of senior officers, with decisions taken outside the democratic process.

Cllr Owen said the council would still seek to clarify general points raised in the report ahead of publishing an action plan detailing how it would resolve the issues raised. He added he would guarantee that the final published version of the LGA report would not be watered down.

Free lunchtime concerts return to Beverley Minster on Fridays from March 4. They will be weekly in March, with two concerts planned in April, three in June and July and more to be arranged for later in the year. The concerts start at 12.30pm with soup and light refreshments available from noon.

[More details here]

And finally, we’ve all driven down it; now, a painting of Garrowby Hill by world-famous Yorkshire artist David Hockney could be yours – if you have a few million to spare! The painting, currently owned by singer Robbie Williams, will go under the hammer at a Sotheby’s auction in London next Wednesday. Pre-sale estimates say it’s expected to fetch between £7.5 and £10 million.