George Finch, the 20-year-old leader of Warwickshire County Council, has been cleared of wrongdoing in two council conduct hearings, despite solicitor-led investigations concluding he had breached the authority's code of conduct.
One investigation stemmed from a formal complaint by the council's chief executive, Monica Fogarty, after Mr Finch asked her to remove the Progress Pride flag from outside the council building. The solicitor-led investigation found Mr Finch had failed to "value colleagues and staff and engage with them in an appropriate manner." However, a council hearing subcommittee, comprising three councillors, decided there had been no breach in a two-to-one vote.
Weeks prior, another solicitor-led investigation found Mr Finch had breached the code of conduct by publishing details that "could have jeopardised" the trial of Ahmad Mulakhil, who was later found guilty of kidnapping and raping a 12-year-old girl. Mr Finch maintained the details were already public, and a separate subcommittee hearing also cleared him.
Mr Finch, who was elected leader at 19, has faced a year marked by controversies, including three code of conduct investigations and a no-confidence call, which he survived by a single vote.