Lib Dem warned over bug plant near rivals' office
OMBCA councillor who listened in on a private meeting of his political opponents during a leadership race has been handed a formal warning by his party.
Mark Kenyon was suspended by the Liberal Democrats after a complaint he used his phone to covertly listen to negotiations that allowed Labour to narrowly retain control of Oldham Council.
He was given a warning after an internal investigation by his party, but his suspension has been lifted as a Lib Dem spokesman said he had "received punishment enough".
In a statement Labour said his actions were "one of the biggest displays of contempt and deceit we've ever come across in politics".
Kenyon was alleged to have placed a listening device near council leader Arooj Shah's office to eavesdrop on negotiations between Labour and a group of independent councillors.
The negotiations led to Labour retaining control of the council by one vote after defeating an alliance of Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and other councillors.
An audio recording of the meeting was later leaked online, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
It led to a complaint about Kenyon's conduct in May 2024, and he was suspended.
The Saddleworth West & Lees representative has declined to comment.
'So toxic'
"We're disappointed that the Liberal Democrats took so long to deal with this complaint," a Labour statement said.
The party added: "We can't pretend that recording private meetings of political opponents and releasing them to the public is normal.
"It's no wonder politics in Oldham are so toxic."
Kenyon has apologised for the incident and remains subject to an ongoing council standards investigation, a spokesman for the national Lib Dems said.
The local branch of the party has declined to comment because a number of other Lib Dem councillors are also subject to an ongoing council standards investigation.
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