A Darlington councillor is under investigation following an “altercation” at a parish council meeting. 

Local authority officials have appointed an external investigator to probe reports of misconduct involving cllr Colin Pease at the Middleton St George Parish Council meeting in May. 

Cllr Pease was elected as a Tory councillor for the Sadberge and Middleton St George ward at the May 2023 local election. 

But he became an independent councillor last month after just a year of representing the Conservatives. 

(Image: Darlington Borough Council)

When contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, cllr Pease said he would not comment on the incident due to the ongoing council investigation. 

However, he said he had already resigned from the Conservative Party “long before” the altercation. 

The former Tory said he was unhappy with “several issues which have not been addressed to my satisfaction” in a message to residents on social media. Yet, he assured locals that becoming an independent councillor would not affect his work in the ward. 

“This is nothing to do with the general election or any specific event, it’s just that I have been unhappy with several issues over several months, which have not been addressed to my satisfaction,” cllr Pease said. 

He added: “I hope over the past year I have convinced you of my commitment to the ward and its residents. To be honest, none of the things I’ve been dealing with are politically driven.  

“That’s not what being a ward councillor is about, in my book anyway.  The only time politics rears its ugly head is in Town Hall business and as the Tories are in opposition they have little influence.”

A Darlington Borough Council spokesperson said: “We have received complaints about conduct arising from a meeting of Middleton St George Parish Council in May 2024. An external investigator has been appointed and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”

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Darlington Conservatives said: “Councillor Colin Pease is no longer a member of the Conservative Party.” 

There are now just 13 Conservative councillors on Darlington Borough Council compared to 24 Labour members, seven Green Party members, three Liberal Democrats and three independents. 

Labour regained control of Darlington Borough Council in May 2023 after it agreed to a coalition deal with the Liberal Democrats.