Officers Advise Councillors They Have No Power to Overturn Misconduct Decision

Published on: 28 Oct, 2025
Updated on: 28 Oct, 2025

Joanne Sexton, leader of Spelthorne Borough Council

By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

Councillors have refused to revisit a highly criticised misconduct hearing into the Spelthorne Borough Council leader Joanne Sexton, even after an external review found failings and members admitted they felt pressured to find her guilty.

The independent report by law firm Bevan Brittan LLP said the October 2024 hearing, which ruled that Cllr Sexton (Ind, Ashford East) disrespected a staff member, was riddled with procedural errors and lacked fairness.

But despite those findings, a Standards Committee on October 22 voted against adopting the recommended reforms, leaving the flawed system in place.

The legal officer warned councillors that their decision meant the council had “chosen not to make the improvements recommended by the external investigator, despite all the rhetoric about failings”. The vote was split four in favour, four against, meaning there was no majority so no changes were approved.

The independent review criticised how the original hearing was handled, including claims that Cllr Sexton was not allowed to rearrange the date, was told she couldn’t attend if unavailable, and that the process lacked independence. Bevan Brittan urged the council to overhaul its procedures, make scheduling fairer, and train staff to prevent future mistakes.

Councillors broadly agreed there were procedural flaws in the hearing, but were split over whether those flaws undermined the overall fairness of the decision.

Cllr Daniel Geraci

Cllr Daniel Geraci said the latest revelations showed the situation was even worse than first expected and proposed the misconduct decision should be dismissed and an apology provided to Cllr Sexton.

But officers firmly ruled against the proposal as the committee had no power to overturn the decision, such decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Officers added that re-hearing the case would require an entirely new independent panel, the key officer involved was on long-term sick leave and only the existing evidence could be considered.

Cllr Tony Burrell

The review comes after explosive revelations earlier this year that members of the original panel felt pressured into finding the leader guilty.

At a February meeting, Cllr Tony Burrell said he had been told by an investigating officer that if he did not find Cllr Sexton guilty, “ three officers were likely to lose their jobs. ” He said he had “sleepless nights” afterwards and still believes she is “totally innocent.”

Cllr Sandra Dunn

Fellow panel member, Cllr Sandra Dunn, said she too felt “pressurised” and would have preferred to “sleep on it” before voting. “We had nothing else to go on but the report in front of us,” she said, adding councillors weren’t given a chance to call witnesses.

Despite the uproar, the council has so far refused to reopen the case. The review confirmed the original decision still stands, but said “lessons must be learned” to prevent similar failings in future.

Cllr Sexton, who leads the Independent Spelthorne Group and represents Ashford East, previously said she was “saddened” that her enthusiasm for improving the borough had been “interpreted as a lack of respect,” adding that was “never my intention.”

The row, now stretching into its second year, continues to divide the council.