AN LGBTQ+ charity is seeking action after a councillor made unproven claims that there were safeguarding concerns.

Pride in North Cumbria (PiNC), a charity for LGBTQ+ youth based in Carlisle, was the subject of a comment made by the Cumbria County Council member for Belah Cllr Gareth Ellis, who made the allegation in a public council meeting in July 2022, which led to an investigation into the charity.

The comment was made during a discussion about the allocation of funds to several charities in which it was planned for £5,000 to go to the charity.

The meeting's minutes state that it was agreed that the area manager would investigate the matter and update all members on the situation.

The investigation has since concluded and has shown no evidence of safeguarding concerns.

An email seen by the News and Star from area manager Paul Musgrave said: "I carried out an investigation into whether any safeguarding concerns had actually been raised. I concluded that there had been no concerns raised to our Local Authority Designated Officer. I then notified members of this finding in accordance with what was requested from me at the meeting."

The charity has been seeking action since the allegation was made and has now issued a formal complaint for action to be taken.

A spokesman speaking on behalf of the trustees at PiNC said they want Cllr Ellis to explain and withdraw or retract his allegation - and that it be expunged from the record.

PiNC wrote a letter to the council to complain. It read: “To our knowledge, no 'safeguarding concerns' have been raised, either with ourselves or with any regulatory body.

“We would therefore like to know where the Member for Belah, Mr Gareth Ellis, obtained his information and if such 'concerns' were raised, by whom, to whom and when.”

Writing again on January 12, a letter from PiNC to the council stated that the matter must be regarded as a formal complaint as a satisfactory outcome to the ‘unfounded and potentially libellous allegation’ has yet to be seen.

A Cumbria County Council spokesman said: “We can confirm that we are in receipt of a complaint, and this will be progressed through the monitoring officer’s complaints procedure, and we will respond to the complaint in due course.”

Cllr Ellis has not retracted or withdrawn the allegation, or apologised, after the investigation concluded that there were no safeguarding concerns to speak of.

Cllr Ellis declined to comment on why he made the allegation or what he meant by it.

READ MORE: The complications of running a rural pub as cost-of-living crisis worsens