West London Council Meeting Erupts in Controversy
A West London councillor is facing mounting pressure to resign following allegations she told a political opponent to "f*** off" during a full council meeting on Tuesday, November 25.
Councillor Katherine Dunne, who serves as Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport at Hounslow Council, has stated she does not recall making the comment directed at Conservative councillor Ron Mushiso.
Heated Exchange Disrupts Proceedings
The incident occurred during a particularly tense meeting that saw Mayor Amy Croft take the unprecedented step of pausing proceedings and issuing a formal warning to councillors.
According to eyewitness accounts, the controversy unfolded immediately after Councillor Dunne concluded a speech. Conservative councillor Joanna Biddolph raised a point of order with the Mayor, alleging that someone had used offensive language.
Councillor Mushiso then addressed the chamber directly, stating: "I've been sworn at, in the public meeting by Cllr Dunne."
The Mayor responded by directing Councillor Mushiso to raise the matter with the monitoring officer after the meeting concluded.
Conservatives Demand Action
The Hounslow Conservative group has since called for Councillor Dunne's resignation, citing the need for higher standards of conduct among elected officials.
A spokesperson for the group told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "At the start of every meeting, the Mayor reminds us of the need for civility. At the start of this council term, both political groups even brought forward a joint motion on 'Debate Not Hate'. Clearly, it's one rule for Labour councillors, and another rule for everyone else."
The spokesperson emphasised that residents expect the highest standards from their elected representatives and added that councillors should be able to perform their duties without fear of abuse.
Labour Defends Their Councillor
In response to the allegations, Hounslow Labour has come to Councillor Dunne's defence while criticising the behaviour of Conservative members.
A Labour spokesperson stated: "Tuesday night's meeting saw the Conservative Group reach a new low. Despite repeated warnings, their continued heckling and disruption led to the meeting being suspended part way through the agenda. This included repeated targeting of a senior female councillor, both during and after her speech."
The spokesperson described the incident as "targeted and sustained heckling of a female councillor by a boorish Tory boy's club" and reaffirmed that Councillor Dunne does not recall using any offensive language.
Meeting Descends into Chaos
The Local Democracy Reporting Service, which watched the meeting live online, confirmed that both sides of the chamber engaged in heckling and interruptions throughout the session.
The situation deteriorated to such an extent that Mayor Croft took the unprecedented step of adjourning the meeting for five minutes, urging all councillors to calm down and behave appropriately.
This controversy represents the second conduct-related incident to hit Hounslow Council in recent days. Last week, councillor Farhaan Rehman was forced to apologise and resign his position as a committee chair after it emerged he had parked a Lamborghini SUV in disabled bays at council offices without a Blue Badge on two occasions.
