The Lib Dem leader of the opposition on East Riding Council has appealed against an internal party complaints panel’s finding that he bullied colleagues.

Councillor Denis Healy was given a caution after the panel upheld complaints made against him nearly a year ago by two party members.

According to The Hull Stack, it was alleged he used his position to bully, intimidate and undermine some Lib Dem councillors, a member of staff and party volunteers.

There were also claims the councillor “used his authority to ‘pressure and criticise’ people and publicly escalate minor disputes which led to a breakdown in working relations within the main opposition in County Hall”.

The panel concluded he brought the party into disrespect but claimed the councillor “seems to have no insight into the problems his behaviour has caused”.

Coun Healy said he was “very surprised” that a copy of an internal decision notice, which was confidential, had been put in the public domain.

He has already appealed to the national Liberal Democrats standards complaints body.

The complaint came from two members of the Executive of the East Riding Lib Dem Party, who are not councillors. The Executive is separate from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Lib Dem Group.

Coun Healy, who became group leader in 2023, said he had received messages of support from his council colleagues.

He said: “I absolutely abhor bullying in all its forms and the idea that I have been characterised as a bully is deeply distressing.

"(In 2025) I was treasurer of the local party, an agent for Mike Ross (in the Mayoral contest) and council group leader. I led and certain individuals didn’t like me leading and characterised it as bullying.

He went on: "As it stands at the moment the sanction is a caution. I can’t live with an accusation I know is untrue, and not supported by evidence, which is why I am appealing.”

Coun Healy said he believed he had strong grounds for his appeal, including “factual inaccuracies” in the decision notice and a contemporaneous email “in which one of the individuals now making the allegations expressly stated I was not a bully”.

He’d also presented written statements from two individuals, who were alleged by the complainants to have been bullied, who “explicitly deny” this happened.

A source said they’d lost party members as the issue was so polarising, and it was a “disaster” when they should be focussing on the next council elections in May 2027. The council is currently a Conservative minority administration, with the Tories with 23 members, and the Lib Dems with 20.