Victims to stay anonymous

The council had been crippled by a climate of fear said the report

Councillors in a north Devon district have agreed not to name any of their members or officers identified as victims by an inquiry into bullying and harassment.

An independent inquiry team is speaking to past and present staff and members after a report into Torridge District Council described how it was seriously damaged by "endemic bullying".

The report, part of a nationwide review of all local government, said the bullying had stemmed from a few personalities.

It urged there should not to be a witch hunt into who was responsible.

But the inquiry team will identify those that it decides have been responsible.

The inquiry chairman, Jeremy Roe, is being assisted by the head teacher of Great Torrington School and a representative of the local government union, Unison.