The local Conservative Party has called for the soon to be appointed Deputy Leader of Milton Keynes Council to resign, after a formal complaint against her was upheld by the Buckinghamshire Fire Authority.
In a recently published report by the Buckingham Fire and Rescue Service, Cllr Emily Darlington, the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Milton Keynes Central has been found guilty of failing to comply with the Fire Authority’s Code of Conduct.
The investigation, launched in December 2023, has now concluded that Darlington’s actions breached the Code of Conduct by “identifying an individual, namely a member of staff, in a verbal contribution that the subject member was making”.
The Fire Authority was discussing a report presented by His Majesty's Inspectorate. Cllr Darlington was found to have deliberately breached confidentiality on a sensitive staffing matter, naming the member of staff in question. Her contribution had to be removed from public record and the YouTube coverage redacted.
The report concluded that “there can have been no justification for Cllr Emily Darlington bringing (or seeking to bring) into the public domain the identity of an employee and questions about the employee’s competence.”
This latest criticism heaps pressure on Cllr Darlington after a string of failings at Milton Keynes City Council's housing department she is in charge of. The council was slammed for 'severe maladministration' by the Housing Ombudsman last year over failures on housing repairs and in February 2024, the council was also forced to pay £1,750 compensation after failing to find suitable housing for a man with complex and significant mental health needs.
Despite the scandals, MK Labour looks set to promote Cllr Darlington to Deputy Leader of Milton Keynes Council on Wednesday at the Annual Meeting.
A spokesperson for Milton Keynes Conservatives said:
“As the report states, there was no justification for Emily Darlington’s comments. She is in a clear breach of the code of conduct. It’s a farce that Labour would appoint a Deputy Leader who has just been found to have deliberately breached a code of conduct.
“Labour should focus on delivering for the area, rather than making snipes and playing political games wherever they can. If this standard of behaviour is what she thinks is appropriate for public office, it’s clear Labour are putting politics ahead of the people of Milton Keynes.”
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