AN investigation is to be launched into alleged bullying at Ryedale District Council after a survey of its staff suggested about a third were aware of bullying at the authority.

At a meeting of full council on Thursday, Cllr Luke Ives, of the policy and resources committee, suggested the enquiry be launched in the wake of the publication of the survey results on the staff intranet, which he called “disturbing”.

He said it wasn’t just a legacy issue but that staff had knowledge of bullying as recently as six months ago, adding: “We can’t ignore this.”

He said that he had also seen allegations published online of staff receiving financial settlements to gag them from speaking out.

“I’m not saying with absolute certainty we have a bullying problem,” he said. “What I’m saying is there is enough evidence to suggest we may well have a bullying problem, and it deserves full investigation by the overview and scrutiny committee.

“The staff are this council’s greatest asset and we must have a healthy workforce, which is why we must not shy away from this investigation.”

The survey was instigated by the council’s “staff champion” member Cllr Fiona Farnell. She said: “I think it is essential that overview and scrutiny look into this situation.”

Cllr Lindsay Burr said: “What we are discussing is hugely personal, hugely private. This is very serious, let’s seriously think about how we’re going to deal with it.”

Cllr Robert Wainwright added that he wanted the investigation to include an examination of whether or not council staff have felt they had been bullied by councillors.

“Some members have not been giving officers the best time in the world and that needs some investigation,” he said.

A budget of £10,000 will be provided to enable the committee to carry out the investigation and “procure expert assistance”.

The spectre of bullying had been raised earlier in the meeting with a public question about the Investors in People accreditation - specifically when the authority stopped having this accreditation and whether it had been stopped due to alleged bullying claims.

Cllr William Oxley, chairman of the meeting, said: “The accreditation to Investors in People ceased in July 2016.

“This is because the Investors in People standard changed and the head of paid service decided to take a break from IiP accreditation for the period of transformation and until the new standard had time to be established.”