THE deputy mayor of Basingstoke has been cleared of any wrongdoing after two formal complaints were made against her last year.

The borough council has now concluded its investigation into Cllr Onnalee Cubitt and decided that she did not breach its Code of Conduct when comparing the refit of the council offices to ‘Year Zero’, a term widely recognised as the killing of two million people in the Cambodian genocide.

The two complaints were submitted by Cllr Andrew McCormick and deputy leader of the council Cllr Simon Bound, who publicly withdrew his support for Cllr Cubitt to become the next mayor, because of her “track record of being offensive and not giving a damn who she upsets”.

While the council’s monitoring officer agreed that the term Year Zero does refer to the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia, she said it also has “a number of other historical connotations” including the French Revolution in 1792.

She said: “Whatever its origins, it is a term that has passed into common use as a way of describing new beginnings or systems that wipe the slate clean, erasing what was there before.

“Collins Dictionary definition gives 3 separate meanings: - 1. The beginning (1975) of the period during which Cambodia was under the control of the Khmer Rouge 2. The beginning of revolutionary change 3. The beginning of any new system or regime.”

Responding to the complaints, Cllr Cubitt told the monitoring officer: “The comments in my emails concerned the borough’s history and the pride the council, and residents, should take in it. They did not, on any reasonable interpretation, refer or allude to political violence or repression.

"They simply stated that the council should not present to residents an image of the borough in which its history has seemed to vanish, such that it is now starting anew from the present day.”

The report concluded: “The comment is found to have been made solely in relation to the refurbishment of the civic space in the council offices in the context erasing the history of the council offices. No disrespect was intended towards those who have suffered under the Pol Pot regime.”

It added: “Whilst it is possible that some might object to the language used or how she makes her political case or who she shares it with, the views do not amount to bullying or intimidation. The response copied in other members and officers who were involved in the project but did not attempt to assert pressure on any particular group of officers.”

Cllr David Potter, who received a complaint after endorsing Cllr Cubitt’s comments, was also cleared of any wrongdoing.

Cllr McCormick told the Gazette that he and Cllr Bound were “absolutely right” to submit the complaint, adding: “We have to take a stand against language that causes offence to victims of genocide by trivialising their experiences. We can't just sit by and let it go unchallenged.”

Cllr Cubitt, who represents the Basing ward, was previously investigated after having a formal complaint made against her after she liked a Tweet by Donald Trump in which he referred to Covid-19 as “a very bad ‘gift’ from China”.

However, the complaint, which accused her of racism, was dismissed by the council because it happened in her “private life”.