The Hadleigh town councillor at the centre of a conflict of interest controversy has said he was 'astonished' by Babergh's monitoring officer's decision to uphold a complaint against him and looked to blame advice he had been given by the town clerk Wendy Brame and the Suffolk Association of Local Councils (SALC) and the whistleblower for pursuing the complaint.

Rolf Beggerow, who is also the treasurer and committee member of Hadleigh United, was found to have taken part in debates and voted on decisions in his role as a town councillor and not declaring an interest, despite his personal position at the football club.

Babergh's monitoring officer upheld a complaint that Cllr Beggerow had breached the councillor's Code of Conduct, which he and the town council had signed up to. Code of Conduct paper here... It is the individual councillor's responsibility to act in accordance of the Code of Conduct, along with the Nolan Principles.

Instead of accepting the decision by the highly-trained and experienced monitoring officer, who have legal backgrounds, Cllr Beggerow has claimed the notice of the decision and sanctions was ambiguous and even though there was no right of appeal, both he and the clerk have been seeking further clarification.

During his 11-minute speech at the beginning of last Thursday's full council meeting, which was allowed to be heard by the chair Gordon McLeod, even though it was not a formal agenda item, Cllr Beggerow alleged that: "The advice I received from SALC stated clearly my circumstances, that were fully described in the town clerk's question, that I need not have been declaring a non-pecuniary interest under the previous code of conduct rules."

He added: "I received the code of conduct complaint on the 13th of October 2022 that alleged that since the town council's adoption of the newly revised code of conduct rules, that I had not been declaring interests in items that directly involve Hadleigh United Football Club, and that I had participated in the debate and vote.

"The complainant further alleged that 'external', I quote 'external observers' may have the perception that I was acting with bias and directly benefiting my close associates with my voting decisions."

 During his lengthy speech, Cllr Beggerow cited examples of meetings he had been involved with, which involved him is his role as councillor and included matters which involved Hadleigh United and the Layham Road Sports Ground, but failed to declare an interest, even though Hadleigh town council adopted a new Local Government Association Councillors' Code of Conduct in July last year.

Hadleigh town clerk Wendy Brame questioned Babergh deputy monitoring officer's ability

Cllr Beggerow also claimed the town clerk, Mrs Brame had questioned the ability of the deputy monitoring officer to deal with the complaint correctly by rushing through due to be 'under pressure'.

In this email the town clerk stated: "I think the decision was rushed through without proper assessment being conducted. I have seen sight of the mails from [the councillor] to the DMO and I can see he was chasing her a lot to have his complaint looked at. I believe she was put under undue pressure by these emails and thus did not complete the assessment thoroughly enough.

 Cllr Beggerow said he had written to the Babergh monitoring officer, stating his concerns and belief that the deputy monitoring officer had not investigated the case adequately, and how he considered the questions asked of him regarding Hadleigh United were not complete.

Cllr Beggerow told the meeting he had not yet decided whether to pursue the matter with the appropriate ombudsman but he would be undertaking further code of conduct training in February as recommended by the monitoring officer.

Cllr Beggerow also attacked Hadleigh Nub News and the East Anglian Daily Times for reporting the decision being upheld and his actions and told Thursday's meeting he and his family had suffered stress caused by 'the complainant and the MO's decision.

More recently a diarist with East Anglian Bylines suggested Cllr Beggerow not being able to tell a conflict of interest from a cheese and pickle sandwich.

Code of Conduct rules here..

Dictionary definition.

A situation in which there are two jobs, aims, roles, etc., and it is not possible for both of them to be treated equally and fairly at the same time 

There was a conflict of interest between Rolf Beggerow's football club dealings and his political activities.

Nolan Principles

1. The Seven Principles of Public Life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in the Civil Service, local government, the police, courts and probation services, non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and in the health, education, social and care services. All public office-holders are both servants of the public and stewards of public resources. The principles also apply to all those in other sectors delivering public services.

1.1 Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

1.2 Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

1.3 Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

1.4 Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

1.5 Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

1.6 Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

1.7 Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.