Alliance MLA Patrick Brown receives censure from standards watchdog

An Alliance Party assembly member faces criticism from a standards watchdog for comments concerning a council chief executive interview process. Patrick Brown took to social media to express his beliefs about how councillors voted on the senior appointment for Newry, Mourne, and Down District Council. The outgoing chief executive complained to the Northern Ireland local government standards commissioner.

Following an investigation, Mr Brown has issued a written apology. The incident underscores the sensitivity of public discussions surrounding council appointments and highlights the importance of maintaining professionalism and confidentiality in such matters, as emphasized by the standards watchdog’s intervention.

He expressed regret, stating in a statement approved by the watchdog, that he apologized to the selection panel for diminishing their role and implying that the panel’s choice of chief executive was influenced by political factors. He acknowledged that the selection process was merit-based and recognized that his remarks could have been interpreted differently. The disagreement stemmed from the 2019 appointment of Marie Ward as the council’s chief executive, succeeding Liam Hannaway.

Mr Brown, formerly a councillor until his election to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2022, publicly asserted online how representatives from opposing parties on the selection panel had voted. Mr Hannaway complained with the standards commissioner, contending that the accusations tarnished the council’s recruitment process and had the potential to strain relationships between Ms Ward and party factions within the council.

Mr Brown, representing the South Down constituency in the assembly, acknowledged violating the councillors’ code of conduct and consented to issue a written apology to the interview panel. In a collaborative document with the watchdog, he also committed to apologizing to Mr Hannaway regarding an email correspondence from 2019.

Local government commissioner Ian Gordon opted to administer a censure. He remarked that the breaches of the code of conduct were significant, yet Mr Brown had outlined steps he would take to address the dispute and offer apologies.