A SENIOR member of Brentwood Borough Council's administration has been reprimanded following a sexist comment made towards the second most senior civil servant working at the town hall.
Cllr John Kerslake was chairing a town hall delivery meeting when he referred to Jo-Ann Ireland's "elegantly formed" posterior earlier in the year.
The Director of Strategy & Corporate Services was away on holiday at the time, but the matter was referred to the council's complaints board by Labour councillor Julie Morrissey.
Councillor Morrissey said: "It was obviously an entirely inappropriate thing to say and so I felt I had no options but to refer the matter."
An apology was offered in advance of the hearing and accepted by the officer.
Louise McKinlay, Brentwood Borough Council leader said: ""The comment was inappropriate and as soon as I heard about it, I spoke to John. He acknowledged it was wrong and personally apologised to her and that was accepted, ahead of any referral or complaint."
The complaint was one four that the council's new standards panel deemed serious enough to warrant a sanction.
It follows a complaint about Conservative councillor Keith Parker who is accused of calling Liberal Democrat Karen Chilvers an "ugly sister" in open council.
Ms Chilvers put in a formal complaint about Mr Parker after a tetchy debate on July 10 descended into bad temper and insults.
She had accused the administration of gerrymandering the debate structuring questions and answers so that senior Tory councillors could respond with easy and positive replies.
After calling the debate a pantomime, Mr Parker is then heard speaking off mic. Soon follows the "ugly sister" accusation from the Brentwood West councillor.
Ms Chilvers said: "I'm not upset and I am not losing any sleep over it but these comments are completely unnecessary and misogynistic; they just drag the office of the council down.
Doddinghurst and Brizes councillor, Mr Parker said: "It seems strange that there are people who create a situation and then get on their high horse when they don't like what they are part of.
"To be honest the problem is the like of Miss Chilvers. I have no problem with the opposition taking the administration to task. That is what their job is.
"But they are putting in loads of spurious motions and amendments and are just creating a difficult and argumentative atmosphere."
Brentwood First councillor for Hutton North, Russell Quirk, was also warned about comments made on air on Phoenix FM about Chief Fire Officer David Johnson and also about failing to declare an interest with an office company when trying to find a partner to take over running two thirds of the town hall.
Brentwood Borough Council's report into Russell Quirk comes a year after Suffolk County Council found that comments made about Mr Johnson breached Brentwood Borough Council's code of conduct.
Mr Johnson accused the then Tory councillor of attacking his professionalism and integrity and making "wholly inaccurate, offensive and defamatory" statements about his private life.
The firefighter's wife had also complained after taking exception to a remark that she and her husband had moved house because of "matrimonial difficulties".
Mr Quirk said: "Were the comments relevant? No, probably not but I said them to provide context.
"I have been found slightly wanting and I accept that. I utter tens of thousands of words as a politician every year.
"But it was not a serious breach and it did not bring the council into disrepute."
Back in 2010, Lib Dem councillor Barry Aspinell was suspended from the council for six weeks after being found guilty of bringing it into disrepute.
Mr Aspinell was brought in front of Brentwood council's standards board accused of delivering misleading election literature to about 8,000 homes during the county council elections in June 2009.
At a later appeal, Mr Aspinell was cleared of any wrongdoing.And Mr Parker was censured by his peers, after he used the word "queen" when referring to the gay community in a council debate.
Mr Parker was found to have breached the authority's code of conduct when he uttered the word as part of an off-microphone quip during a debate in January 2010.
