Facebook slur achieves national notoriety

10.26.56am GMT Mon 2nd Nov 2009

Conservative Cotswold District Council Leader Lynden Stowe and fellow Tory Councillor Roberts (Fairford) have been caught out making unguarded comments on internet networking site 'Facebook'.

Leader of the Lib Dems on CDC, Cllr Paul Hodgkinson issued the following statement, "The dictionary definition of the word 'moron' is 'one who remains throughout life at the mental age of eight to twelve'. These comments on a public forum which numerous people can read are therefore very ill judged and totally unprofessional. It's not possible to make divisive and insulting statements like these and then expect the victims of insults and untruths to forget what has been said. How can words like these lead to productive working relationships?

At the Council meeting last week - just days after making these ill judged remarks on the internet, Lynden Stowe told me he 'looked forward to working with me' - this is the height of hypocrisy.

For the Leader of a Council and a councillor recently awarded an MBE to be making these remarks is completely inappropriate and they are deeply offensive to me and my colleagues. It's the lack of professionalism which is so striking. Having personally been on the receiving end of insulting comments in the Council Chamber before from Lynden Stowe I'm afraid he has gone too far this time and needs to consider whether he can command any respect now. His position is untenable. The Councillor's Code of Conduct - which we must all adhere to - includes specific requirements regarding treating others with respect.