Reform Mayor’s office hit by further allegations of bullying, intimidation and threats
The office of Reform Mayor Luke Campbell has been hit by further allegations after another member of staff claimed they were suspended after raising concerns about threatening and racist behaviour in the workplace.
The Observer reported a new set of claims by a second member of staff, days after a female worker said she was forced out of her job shortly after a “cyberflashing” incident involving the Hull and East Yorkshire Mayor.
The latest allegations, made in documents submitted to Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority (Heyca), claim members of the Mayor's team have engaged in “bullying, intimidation, threats of physical violence, racist abuse, homophobia, breaches of confidentiality and failures to provide a safe working environment”.
The newspaper said there had been at least two incidents in which a manager allegedly used verbally threatening language about an employee.
The manager is also alleged to have made a derogatory reference to a black colleague.
The Observer reported that the same person allegedly showed “sexual positions that gay men would take” in reference to another member of staff.
The newspaper said the employee was suspended after raising concerns internally and was banned from Heyca premises.
There was no response from Heyca to the latest allegations.
However Heyca told the Observer that it wouldn’t jeopardise any investigation “however historical or otherwise, by providing comment to third parties including the press”.
Earlier this month a former employee said she was taking Heyca to an employment tribunal after the Mayor allegedly called the woman over to his desk and showed her four “naked and sexualised images”.
Humberside Police is investigating.
Mayor Campbell denies the allegations.
Reform UK said it was a “baseless complaint” from a disgruntled employee.
Mr Campbell posed naked for the magazine Gay Times, to raise money for the Terrence Higgins Trust, shortly after winning the bantamweight gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
A copy had been shown in the office.
Conservative leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council Anne Handley and Tory Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison called on Campbell to step aside while the investigation is underway to maintain public trust and accountability.
Mr Campbell was elected as first mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire with 35.8 per cent of the vote last May.