Saw this in Monday's Scotsman, it's not about taxis but it perhaps explains why some people in the trade are reluctant to take on councils or find them difficult to deal with.
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotlan ... =826692007
Using capital letters in an e-mail surely can't be seen as bullying, can it?
CAMPBELL THOMAS
A former senior councillor is being investigated over claims he bullied staff by using capital letters in his e-mails.
David Duncan was reported to the Standards Commission after council executives said they felt intimidated by the messages.
The e-mails related to approaches he made to staff at South Ayrshire Council over allegations of corruption and wrongdoing - including a claim that £2 million of public money was embezzled by a charity.
Mr Duncan, 53, said: "I've a duty to fight for my constituents and I always told them I would get them an answer to their questions. I was entitled to ask hard questions of senior officers and they were duty-bound to answer the questions. It's laughable to suggest I used capital letters to intimidate anyone."
Graham Peterkin, South Ayrshire's depute chief executive, sent a dossier to the Standards Commission for Scotland after complaints about Mr Duncan from some of the council's most senior officers.
The 200-page report includes copies of e-mails exchanged last year concerning, among other issues, a charity for the mentally ill, a housing developer, private landlord schemes and a public right of way.
In an e-mail to chief executive Tom Cairns concerning the charity, Mr Duncan said: "I will have no need to escalate this matter so long as someone is investigating it. This involves large sums of PUBLIC MONEY. We have a duty to guard this money and pursue and identify fraudsters AND recover ANY money gained by fraudulent means."
In another e-mail to Mr Cairns, Mr Duncan added: "We are I BELIEVE OBLIGED TO PROTECT PUBLIC MONEY. If no-one is to progress this I WILL BE FORCED TO CONTACT OUR PAYMASTERS WITHIN THE SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE, AND the DWP."
A third e-mail went on: "...this becomes a major fraud of over £100,000 of TAXPAYERS' MONEY, and I believe we are duty-bound to pursue the repayment of ALL of this money."
Mr Duncan stood down from the council earlier this month after ten years representing his home village of Mossblown and nearby Annbank, but the complaint is still proceeding against him. He insisted that, as a senior convener, he was effectively an employer and entitled to demand answers from his officials.
"I could write a book about this," he said. "I want the public to see what these people have been up to. What they have done is reprehensible.
"It's laughable to suggest that I used capital letters to intimidate anyone when I use them all the time to emphasise points. I sometimes highlight words with colour. Is that offensive?"
A spokeswoman for the Standards Commission, which investigates complaints against council members, said: "I can confirm we have received a complaint and the respondent is Councillor Duncan. Beyond that we can't give any further information until the chief investigating officer has concluded any inquiries or investigation."
South Ayrshire Council said in a statement: "It would be inappropriate to comment on this matter at this time as the chief investigating officer of the Standards Commission has recently issued a draft report, on a confidential basis, and the matter has not yet been concluded."
Login
Register
FAQ
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
But! I cannot help but feel that they are just a buffer zone to take the sting out of things to prevent Mr & Mrs J Public going to court.
