THE embattled Chief Constable of North Yorkshire has survived a vote of no confidence in his position after councillors accused him of damaging public confidence in the force.

The motion was debated yesterday at the first full meeting of North Yorkshire County Council since it emerged that the investigation into a misconduct case involving Grahame Maxwell had cost the taxpayer £300,000.

Mr Maxwell, 50, admitted a charge of gross misconduct in May, following a lengthy investigation of claims he unfairly helped a relative to circumvent a force recruitment process.

He was allowed to keep his job, but accepted a final written warning.

The motion, introduced by Coun Geoffrey Webber, argued that the gross misconduct charge, Mr Maxwell’s failure to admit the charge earlier and the cost of the inquiry to the taxpayer, meant that he should lose the confidence of the council.

The motion was defeated by an overwhelming majority after councillors argued that the matter had already been dealt with and it would not be fair to cast judgment on Mr Maxwell for a second time.

However, councillors who voted in favour of the motion said members of the public had lost confidence in Mr Maxwell, which might trickle down to rank and file officers.

Coun Webber, who represents the Harrogate Bilton ward, said: “Mr Maxwell tried to avoid being held to account for his actions, at great cost to the taxpayer.

“There is great strength of feeling among the public that his actions have wasted public money that could have been better spent on policing across the county.”

However, Coun Gareth Dadd, member for Thirsk, disputed that public confidence had been hit, using recent figures from North Yorkshire Police that showed confidence in the force had risen from 57.9 per cent to 61.5 per cent in the last three months.

He said: “In my local community people do not talk to me about Grahame Maxwell – they have other things to worry about.

“This council should not be wasting its time arguing about other organisations. Would we issue a vote of no confidence in the chief executive of a district council or the fire authority?”

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police declined to comment.

York Press: The Press - Comment

Time to win our trust once more

INQUIRIES into the behaviour of senior police officers seem to be in the news, thanks to the fall-out from the phone-hacking scandal within the top ranks of the Metropolitan Police.

The leading policeman in our own backyard has not exactly escaped the headlines recently. Grahame Maxwell, the chief constable of North Yorkshire, encountered fresh controversy yesterday when North Yorkshire County Council held a vote of no confidence in him.

Mr Maxwell has faced a string of difficulties after he finally admitted discreditable behaviour amounting to gross misconduct for giving preferential treatment to a relative during a force recruitment drive.

In the event, Mr Maxwell easily saw off this latest challenge to his personal authority because the motion was roundly rejected. This is good news for Mr Maxwell and, it is to be hoped, for the region he polices.

The meeting decided that due process had been gone into and that the chief constable’s admitted failings had already been dealt with. The council then offered Mr Maxwell its support to continue in his important role.

We would echo that sentiment, with one important qualification: surviving a vote of no confidence is not the same thing as an expression of full confidence. Mr Maxwell now needs to win the trust of the public once more – and to boost moral among his ranks and regain the confidence of frontline officers, whose faith in their boss has been shaken by a combination of scandal and job losses in the wake of spending cuts.

York Press: What do you think? - Click to comment