Smack on bottom by lady provost was friendly, standards body rules

A lady provost who smacked the bottom of another councillor and called her a naughty girl has escaped punishment, it emerged yesterday. Ruth Leslie Melville, the independent provost of Angus, was investigated by the Scottish Standards Commission after Glennis Middleton, an SNP councillor, claimed the civic head had slapped her backside twice when she arrived late for a council meeting.

Mrs Middleton alleged that the provost's actions were offensive and in breach of the councillor code of conduct.

And yesterday she emphatically declared: "Nobody is that friendly with me other than my husband."


Ruth Leslie Melville and Glennis Middleton

However, Stuart Allan, the Commission's chief investigating officer, cleared Provost Leslie Melville and appealed to both women to get along with each other for the sake of the local authority.

He stated in his judgment that the incident amounted to a "gee-up" gesture by the provost which was a "friendly act and made in that spirit".

But Mrs Middleton, a former provost, condemned the commission's decision and declared: "I don't know what was in her mind. The fact is she slapped me on the backside and called me a naughty girl and it's inappropriate to do that. How the Standards Commission can say it's all right as long as it's friendly I don't know. She's not my friend. She is my colleague and there is a huge difference."