Kevin Dunion

The poll of 299 people, included in the Standards Commission for Scotland’s annual report, found that there was a disinclination amongst board members to complain – even where possible breaches occur.

During the period covered by the report, the commission conducted a survey of members and chairs of the boards of public bodies to determine whether the lack of complaints about members was the result of a high level of adherence to the code of conduct or whether instances of poor conduct were simply going unreported.

Some 16 per cent of board members reported having witnessed – or experienced – poor behaviour including bullying, harassment and disrespect but almost half of the respondents, 43 per cent, said that they would be reluctant to complain formally.

The reasons given ranged from fear of losing their role to concerns that no action will be taken. Some stated they would rather resign than speak up.

The commission was particularly concerned about the responses coming from members of health boards and health and social care integration joint boards, with some 24 per cent of respondents from such organisations reporting that they had experienced or witnessed unacceptable behaviour.

All eight public hearings held in 2018/19 by the commission, however, concerned allegations against local authority councillors and in all cases a breach was found to have occurred, the body said.

Professor Kevin Dunion, convener of the commission, noted that while there are many more board members of public bodies than councillors in Scotland, the majority of the cases concern councillors, despite anecdotal and on-the-record evidence suggesting that significant, recent, failings have occurred on boards of devolved public bodies.

Professor Dunion said: “If the #MeToo movement has taught us anything, it is that poor behaviour should not be tolerated or ignored.

“If ‘bad’ behaviour is going unchecked, then public bodies in Scotland are not promoting a culture of respect and inclusivity and importantly, the challenge role that Board members should play is diminished and could lead to failings in oversight and even service delivery.

“Meanwhile whilst robust debate is a feature of public life - particularly in environments such as councils where party politics exist - this should not be a shield for sexism, bullying or harassment to hide behind.”