Wednesday, July 23, 2025
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Too Much MONCKEY Business

Too Much MONCKEY Business
  • – an “In My View” article by NIGEL WARD, updating readers on significant events at Yarm Town Council, subject of previous reports on a degree of dysfunctionlity rivalling even the antics of Town Councils much closer to home. (With acknowledgments to Chuck BERRY).
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Apologies for absence . . .
As regular readers of the Enquirer may recall, there have been a number of articles published about the shambles that is Yarm Town Council

Few readers are unfamiliar with the adage “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

What is less commonly know is that even the tiniest smidgeon of merely imagined power, in the wrong hands, can suffice to corrupt far beyond the standards expected in public life.
Readers unfamiliar with my seminal article “The Cult of the Clerk” (pub. 27/10/23) will find what follows to be a perfect example of how a group of well-meaning but malleable citizens, when elected or co-opted onto a Town/Parish Council, can become unwitting parties to varying degrees of corrupt conduct.
Yarm Town Council has now achieved a standard well worthy of note.
 
In a meeting of Yarm Town Council, on 10th August 2023, the then-Chair/Mayor, Councillor Peter MONCK (pictured above) uttered a stream of abusive, unsubstantiable and, in fact, completely untrue comments aimed at three fellow Town Councillors merely for exercising due diligence and being critical of the Council’s decision-making, including the way in which an external contract had been awarded internally to the then-Clerk without proper consideration of whether or a not a conflict of interests stood to arise.
Councillor MONCK then claimed that he had “spoken to the Police” and had “been in touch with a lawyer” and that the three were guilty of a criminal offence for which “they would go to prison”. He threatened that, if the three Councillors did not resign, and do so within 48 hours”, he would make sure they “went to prison” for what he described as “misconduct in public office”.
MONCK then propagated his outrageous remarks more widely by publishing them on social media.
The Defamation Act 2013 prohibits the publication of damaging untruths, whether spoken (slander) or written (libel). Had Councillor MONCK’s allegations been true, the three ‘victims’ would have had no recourse in law. That allegations are demonstrably true provides a comprehensive defence to any potential action for defamation. However, Councillor MONCK’s allegations were entirely without foundation.
In the hope of restoring their personal reputations without further damage to the general repute of the Council, an offer was made by the three – Councillor Pam SMAILES, Barbara WEGG and Bob WEGG – to settle the matter out of court on the basis that Cllr MONCK issue a complete retraction and unreserved apology (as well as agreeing to pay such concomitant legal costs as had thus far arisen).
However, MONCK refused to co-operate.
Mediation was offered.
Again, MONCK declined co-operate.
Eventually, legal proceedings were issued and the matter was due to be heard in the coming weeks.
Fortunately for all concerned, and following the completion of Court-instructed mediation, an agreement was finally reached on 3rd June 2025 (Three town councillors tell of ‘horrendous’ ordeal as former chair apologises for untrue allegations) and Councillor MONCK finally agreed publicly to retract his malicious falsehoods entirely, unreservedly apologise to the three Claimants and pay them a significant sum in settlement of their claim.
It is understood that this runs well into the tens of thousands of pounds – some sources have claimed to have knowledge of damages of £50,000 plus costs, though it is unclear whether or not this sum covers all three Claimants collectively – or applies to each, individually.
A perhaps unforeseen consequence of MONCK’s pratfall has been the apparent resignations of seven other members of the Council, including the current Chair/Mayor, Councillor John COULSON (who also serves on Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council).
I say ‘apparent resignations’ because Councillor COULSON’s email (see excerpt below) does not comply with the correct resignation protocols, insofar as Councillor COULSON would appear to believe that his ‘powers’ are sufficiently extensive as to permit him to tender resignations on behalf of others:
As one colleague of mine expresses it, “It would be strange indeed if a Councillor – any Councillor – could ‘resign’ someone else – anyone else – merely by sending an email”!
Once again we stray into the Alice-in-Wonderland domain of the imagined powers of Town & Parish Councillors.
It should be made clear that, as of today’s date, Councillor COULSON’s en masse resignation statement is not reflected on the Yarm Town Council website:
Finally, according to a report on the TeessideLive website, YTC’s four remaining intend to carry on as best they can. I would respectfully suggest that they should examine the Council’s Standing Orders to establish the correct interpretation of SO 3x, which states:
It is a reasonable assumption that Yarm Town Council, with its full complement of eleven members, will be grievously handicapped by having only four members for the simple reason that, with even one absentee- however authentic the reason for absence – the necessary quorum of four (necessary to even open a meeting) could not be achieved.
Precedent suggests that Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council would have little option but to intervene by appointing at least one additional member to start the ball rolling.
However, an impeccable source assures me that the four remaining Councillors have since also thrown in the towel. If (or when) this is confirmed, Yarm should sooner or later have the opportunity to start from scratch.
Events tend to turn at a glacial pace in local government but, with the help of the Enquirer and like publications, progress can be made. It is purely a matter of exposing the antics of the rotten apples – slander, bullying, coercion, blackmail, threats of physical violence – in my 16 years of Council scrutiny, I have seen it all.

 

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