Probe after half council's staff speak out on '˜bullying culture'

The revelation comes in a “health and wellbeing assessment” circulated to the 200 staff at Ryedale District Council.

Of the 104 people who responded, 54 per cent said they knew of bullying within the organisation.

The survey was conducted in February and March but has only just been published - a year after the council’s departing chief executive resisted calls for an inquiry on the subject.

The survey, seen by The Yorkshire Post, describes the staff response as “disappointing”, and adds: “Urgent action is recommended”.

The council has now ordered an investigation by its overview and scrutiny committee into “the seriously worrying indication of the bullying of employees” and to establish whether it “has previously been misled on this matter”.

It has budgeted £10,000 to conduct the inquiry and “procure expert assistance”.

Conservative Luke Ives, chairman of the policy and resources committee, who proposed the move, said: “Over half the workforce has knowledge of bullying.

“Given the weight of evidence we must not be afraid to make decisions. We have to get to the bottom of what is going on.”

The council’s “staff champion”, Coun Fiona Farnell, who instigated the survey, said: “I am concerned by some results which have come in. It is important that staff see councillors are taking their concerns seriously.”

Allegations of a bullying culture at the Malton-based authority began to emerge last summer, after another councillor, John Clark, accused officers of failing to address concerns.

He said: “There are a whole series of questionable incidents that warrant further examination to ensure that the council is treating its employees properly.

“This subject is clearly not taken seriously by senior management otherwise it would have looked into during the last nine months since I first raised it in public.”

Janet Waggott, the authority’s chief executive, said at the time: “If any member believes that bullying has taken place they should report the matter to me and the head of paid service without delay. “To date I have received no complaint from a member.”

In May, it emerged that Ms Waggott was leaving after ten years to take up a similar post at Selby Council.

The authority has recently overseen a cost-cutting programme called Towards 2020, designed to save more than £1m over three years. The staff union Unison said the restructure it triggered had removed around 40 posts.

Ryedale is not the first council in Yorkshire to face allegations of bullying and intimidation towards staff. In 2010, it was revealed that more than 300 complaints had been made at 17 authorities during the previous five years. Bradford saw 81 cases, significantly more cases than anywhere else, with North Yorkshire recording 47, Doncaster 38, Kirklees 36 and Wakefield 34.

Ten years ago, a group of Richmondshire councillors were found guilty of bullying but later exonerated and the report that had convicted them declared “null and void”.