Two Shaftesbury town councillors face sanctions after a Dorset Council panel heard allegations of several breaches of behaviour. Councillors Karen Tippins and Peter Yeo clashed with other town councillors on several occasions, many of which were recorded when meetings were held over Zoom from March.

The county’s Audit and Governance Hearing sub-committee viewed the videos and held interviews before delivering their report last week. 
It said that Cllr Yeo was seen to make an offensive hand gesture in one meeting, while Cllr Tippins refused to face a speaker at another. She also insulted a councillor as ‘thick’ and was described by the panel as being “childish and wholly disrespectful” in the meeting.

Panel chairman Cllr Biggs said of Cllr Yeo’s language that he had never seen anything so disrespectful in 30 years on the council. The pair will now face a full hearing and could face suspension or other sanctions. As elected councillors, they cannot be removed from post. Both councillors told This is Alfred radio that the investigation is a waste of time and taxpayers’ money.

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