The Standards Sub-Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council met on Monday 9 February 2026 to determine a complaint against Councillor Kamala Kugan for failing to comply with a previous sanction. The committee found that Councillor Kugan had breached the Members' Code of Conduct and imposed several sanctions, including a formal censure and a recommendation for her removal from council committees.

Determination of Complaint Against Councillor Kugan

The Sub-Committee considered a complaint made by the Chief Executive alleging that Councillor Kamala Kugan had breached the Members' Code of Conduct by failing to comply with a sanction imposed by the Standards Sub-Committee on 30 September 2025. The original sanction required Councillor Kugan to issue a written apology to Ian Dodds, the Executive Director of Children's Services, by 14 November 2025.

The Investigating Officer reported that Councillor Kugan had not sent the apology by the deadline, which constituted a breach of paragraph 14.1.iv of the Member's Code of Conduct, stating: As a Councillor, I will comply with any sanction imposed on me following a finding that I have breached the code of conduct.

During the hearing, Councillor Kugan, represented by Ms Mihaela McKendrick, argued that her conduct was justified due to safeguarding concerns and that officers had not provided sufficient evidence for her to understand the reason for the apology. She maintained that an apology had been issued via an email on 28 November, but the Sub-Committee determined that this email was accusatory in nature and not addressed to the required person, therefore not constituting a valid apology.

The Sub-Committee unanimously agreed with the findings of fact that Councillor Kugan had failed to issue the required apology, thus breaching paragraph 14.1.iv of the Code of Conduct.

Following this finding, the Sub-Committee considered representations on sanctions. Councillor Kugan reiterated her position regarding safeguarding concerns and stated that any sanctions should be proportionate. The Investigating Officer confirmed her conclusion that Councillor Kugan had failed to comply with the sanction. The Independent Person, Gary Rogers, noted the lack of evidence that the apology had been made and observed that Councillor Kugan's comments reiterated the concerns that led to the original complaint, rather than demonstrating a change in approach. He emphasised the importance of the standards regime in ensuring members act with respect and courtesy.

The Sub-Committee unanimously resolved the following sanctions:

• Councillor Kamala Kugan was formally censured, and a censure report would be issued to the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee in March 2026. The details of the censure would be published on the Council's website.
• Councillor Kugan was required to issue the apology originally directed by the Standards Sub-Committee by 5:00 pm on Sunday, 15 February 2026.
• The matter would be reported to the Council for information, with a recommendation that Councillor Kugan be removed from all Council committees.
• Councillor Kugan would be excluded from the Council's offices and other premises, except for meeting rooms necessary for attending official Council meetings.
• Councillor Kugan's access to the all-councillor email distribution address would be revoked.

The Sub-Committee noted that Councillor Kugan showed a lack of self-reflection and continued to reiterate the behaviour that led to the original complaint.

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 November 2025 were agreed as a correct record. The Sub-Committee also noted the hearings procedure.

The meeting was held in public, with the option to exclude the press and public if exempt material needed to be disclosed or for deliberation. Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Jamal Chohan, Helen Grocott, and Mike Massimi, with Councillors James Giles, Lynn Henderson, and Mark Beynon attending as substitutes. There were no declarations of interest.