Newcastle Council leader faces bullying complaint
Newcastle’s council leader has been accused of bullying by one of the local authority’s most senior directors.
Nick Kemp is the subject of a complaint made by Newcastle City Council’s director of investment and growth, Michelle Percy, we can report.
It was announced last week that the Labour councillor had taken an immediate leave of absence due to ill health.
Numerous sources have confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that Coun Kemp was made aware of the bullying complaint earlier this month.
It is understood that the long-serving Byker ward councillor, who has been the city’s Labour leader since 2022, has a period in which to reply to the allegations before the city council determines whether to mount a formal investigation.
Coun Kemp has not responded to requests for a comment from the LDRS.
Concerns about the behind-the-scenes culture at Newcastle City Council have surfaced several times over recent years.
Almost 12 months ago, council chief executive Pam Smith refused to deny the presence of a “toxic” atmosphere and bullying at the civic centre during a tense grilling in front of the authority’s audit committee, amid rumours of clashes between city politicians and council officers.
That committee’s independent chair, Hamish Moore, is known to have subsequently written to Coun Kemp regarding his concerns over the council’s governance.
Mr Moore, along with other independent members of the audit and standards committees, was then replaced last December in a major shakeup that saw the two watchdog bodies merged.
In October 2023, Labour councillor Jane Byrne quit her role in the council cabinet and made an explosive social media statement in which she accused officers of “undermining” the council, though sources later told the LDRS that she was in fact asked to leave her position due to a “number of internal issues over the past few months”.
When questioned at a city council meeting several weeks later, Coun Kemp said that there were “no issues around management and governance of the organisation”.
Former Heaton councillor John-Paul Stephenson had also made allegations of bullying and “thug” behaviour within Newcastle Labour before his term of office ended in May 2023.
Coun Kemp has sat on the council since 2002 succeeded Nick Forbes as council leader in 2022.
Having previously served in Mr Forbes’ administration, Coun Kemp left his cabinet in 2020 and alleged that he had been undermined by “constant sniping” and “personal animosities”. Mr Forbes claimed at the time that he had received “a number of complaints about Coun Kemp’s behaviour”.
Coun Kemp, 55, then rose to power after the former leader was deselected by Labour members in his own ward and has since survived two challenges to his leadership of the city’s ruling Labour group.
During his leave of absence, the council leader’s duties are being performed by deputy leader Karen Kilgour.
Ms Percy joined the city council in October 2016, having previously worked for property developers Clouston Group in the early days of the Stephenson Quarter regeneration project.
She is part of the civic centre’s senior director team and holds responsibility for key areas of activity in Newcastle – including transport, planning, economic development, and culture.
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “All complaints made against members or council officers are dealt with in accordance with the arrangements set out in the Council’s Charter. We do not comment on individual complaints.”