Kintbury Parish Council reports former Hungerford town councillor to police

A FORMER parish councillor has been spoken to by police about her behaviour.

Doris Colloff said she has also been barred from contacting her Hungerford and Kintbury ward district councillors.

Mrs Colloff, who has previously served as a councillor on both Hungerford Town Council and Kintbury Parish Council, has been involved in a long-running dispute over various issues with the latter.

That culminated in January with her being barred from attending Kintbury Parish Council meetings and her emails being blocked.

But things continued to escalate until, earlier this month, Mrs Colloff said she received a home visit from two police officers.

Kintbury Parish Council chairman Richard Smalley confirmed that a formal complaint had been made to police.

He cited concerns over the content of recent messages sent to council clerk Angela Boyce and said Mrs Colloff had also sent numerous “rude and disparaging emails”.

The parish council asked her to desist and warned that, if she did not, there would be no further communication between them.

When the emails persisted, said Mr Smalley, the parish council barred her in January from attending any meetings for 12 months.

Mrs Colloff then made a formal complaint to West Berkshire Council, which was not upheld.

Mr Smalley said a fresh series of “bizarre and rude” emails followed.

He added: “We took advice from a police liaison officer, from West Berkshire Council and from the National Association of Local Councils, our governing body.

“We were advised to report the matter to police, which we did, with examples of the emails.

“They gathered evidence and, I understand, have visited Mrs Colloff.

“We didn’t take any of these actions lightly and we followed due process.”

Mrs Colloff confirmed she had been spoken to by two police officers but has vehemently denied sending rude emails.

She said in a statement: “This was actioned with the taxpayer being stripped of all her rights to information, contact with councillors, access to meetings and the office as well as instructions to the clerk to block, not just one, but both my email addresses.

“I conclude that elected members are free to insult the taxpayer with impunity.

“I repeat: I did not send nasty emails to the council.”

Mrs Colloff also told the Newbury Weekly News: “I received an email from [former district councillor for Hungerford and Kintbury] Claire Rowles that, in consultation with the [West Berkshire Council] chief executive, I have also been barred from contacting all three district councillors."

West Berkshire Council said in a statement: “(We) do not comment on individual complaints.

“We can however confirm that West Berkshire Council did not issue any instructions barring Ms Colloff from contacting the district councillors.”

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: “We received reports of harassment and malicious communications towards Kintbury Parish Council on May 20.

“Words of advice have been passed to the offender and the reports have been filed pending further information coming to light.”