SENIOR Liberal Democrats have hit out at controversial comments made by Cotswold District Council’s chief executive ahead of next week’s hearing into Cllr Esmond Jenkins.

CDC chief executive David Neudegg made a number of comments criticising Cllr Jenkins (Lib Dem, Water Park) ahead of a Standards Hearing into a number of complaints made about him, which is due to begin next week.

Cllr Paul Hodgkinson (Lib Dem, Churn Valley), leader of the Liberal Democrats at Cotswold District Council, accused the council of prejudicing next week’s hearing.

“The fact that the chief executive, who has been summoned as a witness, has spoken out criticising Cllr Jenkins in the media makes this a very serious matter indeed,” he said.

“There is a real danger that officers are straying over the line into political comment and activity.”

Cllr Jenkins claimed that the investigation sparked by the allegations may have cost up to £500,000 in public funds.

“I am astonished that David Neudegg has seen fit to make these statements because I had already notified the council that I require him as a witness,” he added.

“Public employees at CDC may not be used to being challenged but I am afraid local authority complacency was in large part to blame for the massive Water Park frauds.

“The people of the Water Park elected me to get to the bottom of what was happening and challenging officers about how they did their jobs was part of that process.

“It was never my intention to offend individuals, merely to hold them to account, but it is understandable that some may have taken offence and seen it as disrespect.”

Cllr Jenkins added he was due to meet committee chairman Martin Jauch on Wednesday to seek assurances that his rights to a fair hearing, as set out in the European Convention, would be respected.

“We need to get the ground rules clearly defined in the interests of a fair hearing,” he said.

“All I say is let my accusers come forward and be cross examined, then let the public, the people who pay their salaries, judge if this is money well spent or not.

“I have a dozen CDC officers lined up against me claiming that my actions have been disrespectful to them.

“I totally refute these allegations but it is essential that they give their evidence under oath and are open to cross examination not only on the claims they make but also over their motivation for this concerted attack on my reputation.”

The ethics watchdog, Standards for England, launched the probe into the councillor after holiday home developer Max Thomas wrote to CDC last year asking for him to be “reined in.”

The action against Cllr Jenkins was criticised in the House of Lords in the autumn by Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tyler, who accused the council of “tying up” the campaigning councillor in a “ludicrously trivial investigation.”

He went on to claim that the standards system governing the conduct of local councillors had been used “as a means to gag those who are simply undertaking the first responsibility of an elected member – to act as a watchdog for the public interest.”