https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/council-probe-launched-after-documents-leaked-to-jamie-bryson/a798044336.html
An investigation has been launched to establish if elected representatives have been leaking confidential documents to the loyalist Jamie Bryson, with a warning that councillors’ phones could be audited.
Ards and North Down Borough Council informed all elected representatives last week that it has launched an internal investigation into the major information breach.
The investigation is centred around the leaking of confidential legal advice, obtained by the council, into the implications and obligations around the post-Brexit arrangements.
In September the loyalist posted on X, formerly Twitter, that councillors had voted down a proposal to accept a £55,000 grant to implement aspects of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The grant offered to district councils across Northern Ireland was stated as being used for a range of activity on the enforcement of “non-food-related items”, including to meet their obligations under product safety legislation for importing and appropriate labelling and marketing of goods.
Alliance MP Stephen Farry challenged the loyalist activist at the time, saying that it would then fall to ratepayers to “cover the cost of statutory functions”.
Bryson challenged him, saying they were not “statutory functions”, adding: “How do I know? Because I have the secret legal advice.”
He then posted a picture of a document from Ards and North Down Borough Council that stated ‘Report Classification — Legal in Confidence’.
Last Friday, council chiefs advised that members should inform the office of chief executive Stephen Reid if they were responsible for providing Mr Bryson with the report detailing the confidential legal advice.
The Belfast Telegraph understands there were complaints by other council representatives that the confidential legal advice was provided for the purpose of assisting Mr Bryson, who had, prior to this, served a pre-action legal letter challenging the council on its protocol position.
Sources say that, internally, a number of unionists were suspected of a deliberate effort to assist the loyalist in attacking the council’s position.
Complaints were made, prompting the investigation to try to trace the source of the leak
Further to this, one council official claimed that Bryson was actually involved in drafting motions for councillors elected to the mainly unionist-dominated borough.
“Jamie Bryson was having secret meetings with a group of at least five unionist councillors, formulating motions and drafting letters for them. This group were doing his bidding and Bryson was also being leaked the council’s confidential legal advice,” the source said.
In October, Mr Reid had written directly to Mr Bryson, asking that he provide the identity of the person who leaked the confidential material to him.
However, the loyalist claimed he would not be providing any information and cited journalistic privilege.
In 2019, High Court judge Mr Justice McCloskey delivered a written judgement in relation to warrants obtained by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) for properties linked to Mr Bryson.
The ruling stated that applications for warrants should have been made under a different section of legislation which offers greater protection to journalistic material.
In an email sent to members of the council last week, the chief executive warned that they were liable to have devices audited as part of the investigation.
If the person or persons responsible for leaking the material to Mr Bryson does not come forward by today, it is understood that the council will explore its option with regards to the leaking of sensitive information.
SDLP councillor Joe Boyle is currently the only nationalist on the 40-seat council.
Mr Boyle, who represents the Ards Peninsula, said during a recent full council meeting that unionist members of the council were prepared to accept the £55,000 grant “but then the Pied Piper started playing and they all started following him”.
The DUP and UUP had initially voted against the grant, but at a later meeting a majority of UUP councillors voted with Mr Boyle, Alliance and the Green Party to accept the funding.
Several UUP councillors absented themselves.
When asked about the investigation, Mr Bryson said: “The council are very touchy when it comes to their implementation of the Union-subjugating protocol.
“They’d be better served undoing that and additionally focusing on the delivery of local public services, rather than obsessing over who does, or does not, talk to me.
“I won’t be assisting them in any shape or form. If they want to waste public time and money on this wild goose chase, that is a matter for them.
“It is also somewhat odd that the chief executive has taken it upon himself to investigate what he says is a breach of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. That is the statutory duty of the Local Government Commissioner.”
A spokesperson for Ards and North Down Borough Council said: “We can confirm an email was sent.
“We have nothing further to add bar what was communicated in the email”.
by Ah_here_like