Councillor suspended after posting video of schoolchildren

Summarised from 2 outlets · 4 reports · Updated 20 Oct, 17:38 · Archive

A BCP councillor has been suspended after filming and posting a video showing children leaving a primary school.

Councillor Adrian Chapmanlaw has been suspended from the Liberal Democrat Group at BCP Council pending an investigation. The suspension follows safeguarding concerns raised by Manorside Academy over a video he posted on his Dorset Safer Roads Facebook page.

The footage showed pupils leaving the school and was intended to highlight illegal parking on zig-zags outside the building. Manorside Academy asked Cllr Chapmanlaw to remove the video because children and families were not blurred. The school said his refusal to take it down put pupils at risk and caused distress to families.

Cllr Chapmanlaw disputes the safeguarding concerns. He said he checked the footage frame by frame before posting it and found no children were identifiable, describing the resolution as "very grainy". In response to his suspension, he said he had been subjected to bullying and personal attacks for his road-safety work. He accused his colleagues of hypocrisy, saying they had previously told him his campaign was personal and unrelated to his council role.

Liberal Democrat Group leader Councillor Millie Earl said: "As a council group, we take safeguarding concerns raised by our partners very seriously." The council's standards procedure will investigate the matter.

How it is being reported

• BCP councillor suspended after filming children outside schoolA councillor has been suspended after filming children outside a primary school.Dorset Echo · 20 Oct, 16:56
• 'The hypocrisy is staggering' councillor hits back after suspensionA councillor suspended for filming outside a primary school has said the hypocrisy of colleagues is 'staggering'Bournemouth Echo · 20 Oct, 13:39
• BCP councillor suspended after filming children outside schoolA councillor has been suspended after filming children outside a primary school.Bournemouth Echo · 20 Oct, 12:21
• Councillor under fire after posting video filmed outside primary schoolA school has raised safeguarding concerns after a councillor filmed and posted a video featuring young children walking home from school.Bournemouth Echo · 19 Oct, 15:48

In this story: Adrian Chapmanlaw · Manorside Academy · BCP Council · Liberal Democrats · Millie Earl

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