A TAMESIDE councillor has been found to have broken its code of conduct four times with a controversial social media post.
Liam Billington claimed disorder in the Harehills area of Leeds was caused by people from ‘immigrant backgrounds.’
He added: “If that makes me far right or a racist, so be it,” while also calling for translators to be scrapped, funds for immigration charities and groups to be stopped and ‘a hypertax on landlords who are booting out tenants in exchange for housing asylum seekers at three times the market rate.’
However, the Stalybridge South Conservative was found to have broken the code on multiple occasions at a meeting of Tameside Council’s standards sub-committee on Monday, June 16 – something he claimed was a ‘kangaroo court.’
Yet he will appeal to the Local Government Ombudsman and told the panel he would not attend any diversity training he may be ordered to carry out.
On July 19, 2024, Cllr Billington wrote on his Cllr Liam Billington Facebook page: “The scenes of riots across the country are disgraceful. Put it plainly, they are from immigrant backgrounds.
“This is the price of multiculturalism combined with weak leadership from a metropolitan elite who won’t have to live with it.
“As a councillor, I’ve resisted more immigration and we should not make life easy for it to be appeased either.
“I’ve called for translators to be scrapped, funds for immigration charities/groups to be stopped and a hypertax on landlords who are booting out tenants in exchange for housing asylum seekers at 3x the market rate.
“This is why Tameside has had the sharpest increase in rents of anywhere in the country.
“If that makes me far right to be a racist, so be it. As your voice on the council, I stand up for you and your values.”
That led to an official complaint from former Hyde councillor Jim Fitzpatrick, who described the post as ‘racist.’
And independent investigator Linda Comstive, who said the ‘immigrant backgrounds’ claim was incorrect, told the hearing at Dukinfield Town Hall: “It reads as personal anger and abuse. He could’ve expressed himself in a very different way without being offensive and insulting.
“It could’ve expressed it in a more eloquent, factual and sensitive way. It brings the role of councillor and the council into disrepute.
“You cannot say what you want when you want.
“In my view, the Facebook post by Cllr Billington is disrespectful to other councillors and the public.
“He used the incident to not promote equalities as is his duty under the code of conduct and in fact he used his post to be discriminatory and racist against people from immigrant backgrounds.”
In relation to the use of the word ‘it’ when it came to ‘living with it’, she added: “I think it’s discriminatory and an admission of his racism.”
Cllr Billington denied he is racist at the hearing and described the complaint as ‘politically motivated and vexatious.’
He replied: “I didn’t target anyone specifically. ‘If that makes me far right or racist, so be it’ – that’s not an admission of me being racist because I’m not a racist.
“But it’s often an accusation levied at people with concerns about immigration. It’s not an admission at all.
“What I’m doing is reflecting the views of many people who voted for me because people with Conservative values are very sceptical about immigration and the impact of illegal immigration.
“I find that line (re it) particularly pathetic if I’m being honest.
“If the police thought I’d committed a crime, as I jokingly stated, ‘I’d be in one of Starmer’s gulags by now.’
“But the police haven’t deemed it such. If the police haven’t why does the council think it’s above the police to make that decision?
“I’ll say it again, those riots in Leeds were from people from immigrant background and I do believe there’s been failure of integration within certain communities to integrate within civil society.
“People who think it’s wonderful don’t have to live in these built-up areas like the people we represent.
“I believe I should be able to make those statements as councillor.”
Cllr Billington, who was cleared on three other accusations of breaching the code of conduct, was found to have broken four parts.
The ones in question are, ‘I treat other councillors and members of the public with respect, I treat local authority employees, employees and representatives of partner organisations and those volunteering for the local authority with respect and respect the role they play, I promote equalities and do not discriminate unlawfully against any person and I do not bring my role or local authority into disrepute.’
Recommended sanctions are to censure him – a formal announcement of his code breaches, restriction of council building access, training on equality and social media use and having a monitoring officer ensure he complies.
The sanctions would have to be voted through at the next meeting of the council. However, Cllr Billington – who will lodge an appeal to the Ombudsman – was adamant one part of it is pointless.
He said: “I won’t be attending any equalities training. Enough money has already been wasted as it is and being honest, it’ll just go in one ear and out the other.
“There’s no way I’m going to change my opinion. I stand by that.
“You have set a precedent for yourselves in terms of political literature going forward. I cannot wait because I’ll generate so many complaints.”
The sanctions would have to be voted through at the next meeting of the council.