Rutland County Council to take legal action against its UKIP members?

Martin Brookes alerts us the fact that Rutland County Council is holding a special meeting on 29 July. It is being held to take forward the idea that the council taking legal action against three of its own members.

I blogged about this back in January when the idea was first discussed. And a few days later, speaking in the House of Lords,  Tom McNally went out of his way to say that the idea of a local authority suing for defamation was a non starter.

Looking at the report going to the meeting, it seems the council is trying to get round this:

That the Council grants an indemnity to, and support to the Chief Executive and/or officers, to take legal action in her/their own name(s) for defamation by Councillors Gale, Richardson and Wainwright of the Rutland Group of the United Kingdom Independence Party

I am not aware of the finer points of this case, but the danger of councils acting in this way to stifle legitimate criticism is clear.

And the danger of Rutland County Council running up huge debts is even clearer. It would be a good idea if the meeting on 29 July denied to drop this whole misbegotten idea.

Since the affair began, the three councillors being threatened have disbanded their Rutland Anti-Corruption Group and joined UKIP.

I note Martin's comment:

UKIP say they are not racist I have not yet met a Rutland UKIP supporter who is not.