The Audit Hearings Subcommittee of Doncaster Council met on Friday 09 October 2026 to consider two separate complaints regarding the conduct of councillors from Hatfield Town Council. The subcommittee found that Councillors Carl Miller and Michael Glynn had breached the council's Code of Conduct by failing to treat others with respect, and Councillor Miller was also found to have breached the code by promoting discrimination and bringing his role into disrepute.

Allegations Against Councillors Miller and Glynn for Breach of Respect

The subcommittee considered an investigation report concerning allegations that Hatfield Town Councillors Carl Miller and Michael Glynn had breached the Hatfield Town Council Code of Conduct by failing to treat Councillor Linda Curran with respect. The complaint stemmed from comments made by Councillors Miller and Glynn during a hearing on 9 March 2026, which related to earlier allegations against Councillor Glynn.

Investigating Officer Neil Concanon presented his findings, which detailed statements from Councillor Curran, Councillor Miller, and Councillor Glynn. Councillor Curran alleged that Councillor Miller had made false and defamatory statements about her health and personal circumstances, including claims of alcoholism and ADHD, which she stated were irrelevant to the proceedings and intended to undermine her credibility. She also detailed her genuine medical conditions, including Crohn's disease and a serious accident, which affect her mobility and health.

Councillor Glynn stated that he had chaired the meeting on 9 March and perceived Councillor Curran to be a little bit worse for the wear for drinking, and that she had made the meeting difficult to chair. He admitted to saying he wished he could hit your head with this and knock some sense into it with his gavel.

Councillor Miller, in his defence, maintained that Councillor Curran regularly attended council meetings inebriated and that her handwriting was poor, suggesting she wrote her complaint form while drunk. He admitted to having no other evidence for these claims beyond his observations of her behaviour and a bottle of clear liquid she sipped from during meetings, the contents of which he did not know. He also stated that he had prepared his statement in advance and did not discuss its content with Councillor Glynn.

The investigating officer concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, neither Councillor Miller nor Councillor Glynn had sufficient evidence to honestly believe their allegations that Councillor Curran was drunk. He found that their comments amounted to disrespectful behaviour, an attempt to humiliate and shame Councillor Curran, and a breach of the Code of Conduct's requirement to treat others with respect. The subcommittee accepted these findings and determined that both councillors had failed to comply with paragraph 1.1 of the Code of Conduct.

Furthermore, the subcommittee found that Councillor Glynn had also failed to comply with paragraph 8.4 of the Code of Conduct for failing to comply with previously imposed sanctions. The subcommittee noted Councillor Glynn's history of appearances before the committee and outstanding sanctions.

The subcommittee resolved to impose the following sanctions:

• Councillors Miller and Glynn were to be censured and reprimanded.
• Both councillors were to provide a written apology to Councillor Linda Curran, copied to the monitoring officer.
• Councillor Glynn was to comply within 30 days with outstanding sanctions from previous meetings held on 22 January 2019, 18 March 2025, and 9 March 2026.
• The subcommittee's findings regarding their conduct were to be published on the City of Doncaster Council website, with a recommendation that Hatfield Town Council also publish these findings on its website.
• The findings were to be reported to Hatfield Town Council for consideration, with a recommendation that Councillors Miller and Glynn undertake training on the Member Code of Conduct and proper conduct at meetings at the expense of Hatfield Town Council.

Allegations Against Councillor Miller for Social Media Posts

The subcommittee also considered a second investigation report concerning two social media posts made by Hatfield Town Councillor Carl Miller on Facebook. The first complaint was made by Hatfield Town Councillor Isaiah John Reesbeck, alleging breaches of the Code of Conduct due to the use of terms such as Mogadishu Mile, third world economic migrants, Blackfield, and Coonville in a post on 19 April 2026. The second complaint, made anonymously, related to a post on or around 21 July 2026, which referred to third world economic migrants being trafficked into the parish and questioned risk assessments for public safety before turning Hatfield into Blackfield.

Investigating Officer Neil Concanon presented his findings, noting that Councillor Miller readily accepted making the posts. The investigation concluded that Councillor Miller was acting in his capacity as a councillor, or at least giving the impression of doing so, when he made these posts, citing his references to raising issues at Hatfield Town Council meetings and discussions involving the local MP.

The investigating officer found that the use of terms like Coonville and Blackfield, along with references to jungle and mud huts, constituted racial slurs and promoted negative stereotypes, breaching paragraph 1.1 (respect) and paragraph 2.3 (promote equalities and do not discriminate unlawfully) of the Code of Conduct. The officer also found that Councillor Miller's posts brought his role as a councillor into disrepute, breaching paragraph 5.1. The officer acknowledged Councillor Miller's invocation of freedom of expression but concluded that his use of deeply offensive and racial slurs violated his Article 10 rights.

Councillor Miller defended his posts, arguing they were intended as satire and a brutally honest assessment of the impact of immigration on his village. He claimed that Blackfield and Coonville were references to existing places and not intended as racial insults. He also argued that his comments about backward cultures were based on the fact that some countries issue behavioural guides to new arrivals regarding not committing rape and child abuse.

The subcommittee accepted the investigating officer's findings that Councillor Miller had breached paragraphs 1.1, 2.3, and 5.1 of the Code of Conduct.

The subcommittee resolved to impose the following sanctions on Councillor Miller:

• Councillor Miller was to be censured and reprimanded.
• The subcommittee's findings were to be published on the City of Doncaster Council website, with a recommendation that Hatfield Town Council also publish these findings on its website.
• The findings were to be reported to Hatfield Town Council for information.
• It was recommended that Councillor Miller be removed from all Hatfield Town Council committee positions and membership of outside body roles with immediate effect for the remainder of his current electoral term.