A new councillor is the subject of a formal complaint of a possible breach of the Rotorua Lakes Council's code of conduct.

But confusion surrounds the nature of the possible breach.

In a Facebook post on January 5, Councillor Reynold Macpherson says senior officials 'told on me” for an apparent violation of the Code of Conduct for elected representatives in November.

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick has denied this, but says she is handling a matter of formal complaint lodged over the Christmas period.

Reynold says he contested the definition of rates affordability as it lacked reference to ratepayers' ability to afford rates.

As a result, senior officials cancelled an offer to review the matter 'offline”.

But Steve Chadwick says in a statement on Tuesday, Reynold was not being asked to a meeting with her over a possible breach of the Code of Conduct.

She says she is handling, however, a formal possible breach of the code following a complaint. She does not say from where the complaint came or from whom. She says she is not willing to discuss the complaint 'through the media”.

'I am currently dealing with a formal Code of Conduct complaint regarding Cr Macpherson which I received shortly before Christmas,” Steve says.

'Neither the complaint nor a meeting I requested with him in November, to which he refers in his [Facebook entry], are about or related to Cr Macpherson questioning the definition of rates affordability in the annual report.”

Among other matters, Reynold makes a critical sweep of observations amid what he terms 'the soporific bliss” of Christmas and New Year.

In a heading ‘Salaries for fake leadership to enforce one-party district governance', he also criticises the salary structures, in which one councillor newbie Fisher Wang has gone from flipping burgers at McDonald's to $70,000 which includes responsibilities.

Reynold has also chastised a decision not to allot portfolios to the three RDRR representatives – himself, Raj Kumar and Peter Bentley.

All three polled respectably – with Reynold eighth, Peter fifth and Raj second – in the October 12 local body elections last year. (See report Rotorua Now December 12).

'In her world, our democratic mandates from the people count for nothing,” Reynold says. 'Our decades of successful leadership services also mean nothing.”

In her statement, Steve says it's her role as mayor 'to build a positive team to take our district forward, based on the direction that has been set and that is what I am doing with regard to elected member appointments.

'It is also my role to ensure councillors are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities, processes, expectations relating to their conduct and local government legislation.

'Both prior to and since the elected members' code of conduct for this Council term was adopted, issues of process have been made very clear to Cr Macpherson but he appears to still be confused.”

She says she has not had the opportunity to discuss the matter with Reynold.