A BEWDLEY councillor is accused of allegedly breaching the member's code of conduct.

A complaint was made to Wyre Forest District Council regarding the conduct of councillor Roger Coleman by the clerk of Bewdley Town Council Ms Tracey Bodley.

The Health Concern councillor is a member of Bewdley Town Council and represents Bewdley and Rock on Wyre Forest District Council.

A report by independent person Tim Hipkiss, said: "There are many issues in this matter that have caused me concern not least of which is the fact that this complaint is not the first complaint re the conduct of Councillor Roger Coleman".

In response councillor Coleman, who has served as Bewdley mayor, said the complaint has been "badly handled" and he had not been able to give his side.

In March, Ms Bodley allegedly received an email from councillor Coleman which she felt was accusing her of "influencing councillors with regard to the mayoral succession”.

The concluding sentence of the email by councillor Coleman said: “You might be surprised how the vote may go and of course it’s not for you to influence which your current assumption signifies.”

Mr Hipkiss said he feels the sentence is "somewhat aggressive and appears to be a warning to the clerk".

He said that he believes the email breaches the code of conduct, highlighting "you must not bully any person,” “you must not intimidate or attempt to intimidate any person who is likely to be a complainant,” and “you must not conduct yourself in a manner which could reasonably be regarded as bringing your office or authority into disrespect.”

In a statement, councillor Coleman said that the sentence was "misinterpreted and should have prompted a request for clarification".

Ms Bodley received an email from the internal auditor which said that councillor Coleman allegedly questioned the accuracy of a statement made regarding the salary of the town clerk.

Mr Hipkiss said Ms Bodley was "not being treated fairly and with respect" by Councillor Coleman and was "casting doubt on her integrity in advising Bewdley Town Council".

Ms Bodley also alleges that she received an email from councillor Coleman in January which stated, in his opinion, she was "attempting to misuse the clerk’s power of delegation when advising councillors that a planning application was close to its determination date."

Mr Hipkiss said in his report he believes this breaches the 'treat others with respect' area of the code.

In the conclusion of the report, Mr Hipkiss said he "firmly" believes that the councillor breached Bewdley Town Council's code of conduct and recommended a written apology should be made.

In a statement, Councillor Coleman said that no option was provided for him to discuss his side of the story with the independent person, which he says is part of the Localism Act.

He added: "I feel this complaint has been badly handled, you have been provided with insufficient evidence to consider as background information and that the complaint should have been rejected".

The case will be discussed at the meeting of the council's Ethics and Standards Committee will be held on Thursday (September 8).