Inquiry results into ‘gay marriage caused floods’ councillor to be made public
The results of an inquiry into a former UKIP councillor expelled for claiming that David Cameron’s decision to legalise same-sex marriage caused floods in the UK, will be made public this week.
David Silvester was suspended and then expelled from UKIP in February, after writing a letter to a newspaper blaming the floods of December 2013 and early this year on David Cameron’s decision to legalise equal marriage.
However, he remained an independent town councillor in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.
In March it was announced that South Oxfordshire District Council had launched a formal investigation into his conduct following 12 complaints.
A spokesperson told the Henley Standard last week that the council’s monitoring officer had concluded that Mr Silvester was acting in a personal capacity.
The statement said: “She has accepted the investigator’s view that Cllr Silvester was not acting in his official capacity when he wrote his letter to the Henley Standard; as such she considers that this matter falls outside the scope of the council’s standards framework. She therefore has no powers to take any further action in relation to the allegations.
“She has, however, written to Councillor Silvester to warn him that using his honorific title in personal correspondence is not advisable as it lays his reputation and that of the town council open to unnecessary risk.
“She will also issue advice along similar lines to district councillors and parish clerks within the district.”
The town council has no powers to take disciplinary action against Mr Silvester.
