MHK raises concerns over "internal investigation" into Peel Town Commissioners dispute

Chair of Tynwald committee questions fairness and independence of proposed process

The Chair of the Tynwald Select Committee on Whistleblowing has raised concerns about how Peel Town Commissioners intend to investigate a dispute involving one of its elected members.

Onchan MHK Julie Edge says the local authority’s plan to carry out an internal investigation into issues raised by Commissioner Katryna Baptist risks creating conflicts of interest, and may not be seen as fair by the public.

It follows an ongoing disagreement between Ms Baptist and Peel Town Commissioners, after she publicly raised concerns about governance, transparency and decision-making within the board.

The authority has previously issued a statement rejecting those claims and indicated it would undertake an internal investigation into Ms Baptist.

Speaking to Manx Radio, Ms Edge says situations like this can reflect patterns seen in previous whistleblowing cases:

“From many of the situations that we've heard about previously… the type of concerns that are now being raised are a good example of the retaliatory behaviour that an individual has when raising concerns,” she says.

She also pointed to differing accounts from those connected to Peel, noting that former commissioner and MHK Hazel Hannan has supported the concerns raised, while another former commissioner, Alan Jones, has said that was not his experience.

Ms Edge believes the key issue now centres on how the investigation is conducted.

“The authority have said they are going to do an investigation, but it's internal. An internal process against the individual raising the concerns - is that fair?” she asks.

She's calling for a “clear, transparent and independent” investigation, as she believes there will “clearly be conflicts throughout that whole process.”

Manx Radio approached Peel Town Commissioners to ask if it was reconsidering its position, and whether it is considering an external investigation. The local authority has not responded at the time of publication.