A CORNWALL councillor accused of posting an “anti-LGBTQ+” meme on social media did not breach the council's code of conduct, it has been ruled.

Cllr Dulcie Tudor (Truro and Chacewater) will face no further action from Cornwall Council after a complainant reportedly asked AI to assess the meme, which concluded it showed a stick figure kicking another figure coloured with a rainbow flag, alongside text suggesting “hostility and exclusion.”

Simon Mansell, the council's head of governance, elections and investigations, concluded a breach of the code of conduct was not demonstrated.

“I have reviewed the online screenshots as provided by the complainants and I have also considered the profile which liked this post on social media,” he said. “There is nothing in either the screen shots or on the profile to indicate that the subject member liked the posts as a Cornwall councillor.

“Whilst the concerns raised by the complainants with regards to the actions of the subject member are noted and understood, the ethical standards complaints process cannot extend the scope of when the code applies to the actions of an individual acting in their private capacity.

“Even if members of the public are not aware of this distinction, this process also cannot then be extended to the comments made by those who are said to have ‘trolled’ the subject member in her official capacity and any reaction to these comments.”

Cllr Tudor was previously judged not to have breached the council’s code of conduct after describing trans people as "men who pretend to be women."

Responding to the current investigation, Cllr Tudor said: “I'm almost disappointed not to have my day in the kangaroo court that is the council’s standards committee. I would've been able to point out, once again, how using the Code of Conduct process is being used as a form of punishment in itself.”