Former Belfast councillor Jolene Bunting disqualified from holding office for three years

The Nipso (NI Public Services Ombudsman) investigated a complaint from the Britain First group that, as a sitting councillor, Ms Bunting has asked Britain First to pay a £545 fine she had been handed for allowing the group’s deputy leader Jayda Fransen to sit in the Lord Mayor’s chair without prior permission in January 2018.

Having established that the deduction related to the cost of personal use of her council mobile phone, the panel found she had brought the position of councillor into disrepute.

At the time, Ms Bunting was representing the Court ward as an independent. She had previously been a TUV councillor.

The Local Government Commissioner for Standards (LGCS) heard that Ms Bunting had provided evidence of her ‘fine’ to Britain First leader Paul Golding by photocopying her council payslip showing the £545 deduction.

However, it emerged that she had obscured the text showing the money related to the personal phone use.

Two instalments totalling £115 had been paid to Ms Bunting in instalments before suspicions were raised.

In a written submission to the panel, Ms Bunting said: “While I disagree with how this case has been handled from the start, It is astonishing to me that the free speech case which has been going on since 2017, had me suspended from my elected role and ultimately lost me my seat, has been made less of a priority than the allegations [before the panel]”.

Ms Bunting added: “I can confirm to the Commission that I vigorously deny the accusations that Mr Golding has put before the commissioner.”

She went on to say: “I have never been disingenuous or dishonest in any way towards Mr Golding.”

In a statement, the LGCS said: “Assistant Commissioner Mr Ian Gordon found that Ms Bunting wrongly claimed she had been fined by Belfast City Council for a ‘stunt’… [involving Fransen] being filmed in ceremonial robes.

“Mr Gordon also found that she had altered her Council payslip to make it appear as though a deduction of over £500 was for the fictional fine, when in fact it related to deductions for her use of a council mobile phone”.