A Westmorland and Furness Labour councillor has been found guilty of breaching the council's Code of Conduct following an investigation into his behaviour at a Licensing Committee meeting last year.
Councillor Tony Callister, Labour councillor for the Dalton South ward on Westmorland and Furness Council, was investigated alongside two other councillors who have been cleared of any breaches following complaints made by council staff and councillors on 11 August 2025 concerning their conduct during a meeting of the council's Licensing Sub-Committee. Westmorland and Furness Council issued on Friday the judgement of the closed door hearing held on May 15th.
A formal investigation was carried out by an independent Investigating Officer into complaints relating to the behaviour of Cllr Callister and the two other unnamed councillors.
The investigator concluded that the Code of Conduct had not been breached by the other councillors involved and no action was taken against them.
However, a finding was made against Cllr Callister for breaching Paragraph 1.2 of the council's Member Code of Conduct, which requires councillors to "treat local authority employees, employees and representatives of partner organisations and those volunteering for the local authority with respect and respect the role they play".
The matter was considered by a Hearing Sub-Committee of the council's Standards and Governance Committee on 15 May 2026. Cllr Callister attended the hearing and was given the opportunity to respond to the findings of the Investigating Officer.
The sub-committee, made up of three councillors together with an independent member and supported by council officers, reviewed the investigation report and heard verbal representations from both council officers and Cllr Callister before reaching its decision.
Following a hearing lasting 36 minutes, the Chair of the committee announced:
*"The Hearings Sub-Committee of the Standards and Governance Committee met today and made a finding that by his behaviour at a meeting of the Licensing Sub-Committee Cllr Tony Callister had breached paragraph 1.2 of the Code of Conduct, which is a failure to treat with respect. The Sub-Committee will be writing to Cllr Callister about his behaviour."*
As part of the outcome, Westmorland and Furness Council will issue a public statement regarding the breach and a formal letter will be sent to Cllr Callister concerning his behaviour.
No further formal sanctions are to be taken beyond the issuing of the letter.
While the two other councillors investigated were cleared of wrongdoing, the complaint against Cllr Callister was upheld.
Westmorland and Furness Council is currently investigating two further Code of Conduct complaints involving councillors. The authority has also closed 16 other complaints with no further action being taken.
The Code of Conduct case against Cllr Callister remains the only complaint to have been upheld, with the formal letter issued as the sanction for the breach.,
The council published the outcome of the hearing the day after a by-election to fill a vacant seat on Westmorland and Furness Council that resulted in the first Reform UK member elected onto the council who will serve for just eleven months in the roll before the next elections.
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