Lord Mayor waiting on disciplinary (From The Oxford Times)

Lord Mayor waiting on disciplinary

9:30am Monday 4th March 2013 in News

DISCIPLINARY proceedings against Oxford’s Lord Mayor Alan Armitage have been referred to the Liberal Democrat Party’s regional body.

Tony De Vere, the chairman of the Oxford West and Abingdon Liberal Democrats, revealed the matter had been passed to the party’s South Central Region.

Mr Armitage, city councillor for North ward, was found to have breached the councillors’ code of conduct by Oxford City Council’s standards committee on Wednesday.

Mr Armitage, also a county councillor for West Central Oxford, was censured by the committtee for bringing the position of Lord Mayor and the city council into disrepute.

It was alleged that he told a 13-year-old girl: “It’s sexy when you bend down like that”, while attending a sports event in Iffley Road in July.

Mr Armitage admitted he may have used the word ‘sexy’.

Liz Leffman, regional chairman of South Central Region Liberal Democrats, said: “We have a standard procedure for reviewing issues of this kind.

“A decision will be made at some point this week and what happens after that depends on what the panel decides is appropriate.”

Mr De Vere said action could range from withdrawing the party whip to suspending Mr Armitage from the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Armitage is due to meet Liberal Democrats at Oxfordshire County Council today to discuss the standards committee’s decision.

After being told the matter has been referred to the regional body, Mr Armitage said: “I have not been made aware of this and I have no idea what disciplinary action they might have in mind. The council has asked me to stay on as Lord Mayor and the Lib Dems have no powers to get me to stand down.”