A Tory councillor who has twice been found in breach of the code of conduct is facing fresh complaints about three more occasions of offensive social media activity.
Hove councillor Robert Nemeth posted a story on his Facebook page this week with the inaccurate claim that Brighton schools had told students not to say mum and dad.
When informed by several parents with children at the school that this was not true, he refused to take it down, instead saying it was up to people to make up their own mind.
The schools have since revealed they have received threats as a result of the story.
Councillor Nemeth has also been reported over a series of offensive tweets he made to and about local cycling campaigners last year, in which he referred to them as “sneering”, “single-issue fanatics”, “obnoxious” and “nutcases”.
He also suggested that if they were in danger from cars on the road, this was because of what they said on Twitter.
And Brighton and Hove News understands he may have been reported for having liked offensive Facebook posts in anti-cyclist and anti-Green groups, one of which called on Green councillors to be put in prison because of controversial CRT anti-racism training in schools.
One of the parents who has complained over this week’s posts about schools, Dominic Forristal, said: “Despite this being the season for political campaigning, it is important our children are not brought into this.
“Teachers have been working hard for years to ensure children from what he might consider ‘non-traditional’ families aren’t made to feel excluded.
“It is a lie to say teachers have been banned from saying mum and dad and I know that to be the case.
“He seems more interested these past few months in energising his base than representing the diverse community he represents – solely with the purpose of gaining one or two votes with no regard for the consequences of the division he sows.”
The council’s code of conduct for members (councillors) states that they should treat all persons fairly and with respect.
Breaches are investigated by the council and the vast majority are resolved without needing to go before the council’s standards panel.
The panel has only met twice since 2015, and on both occasions Councillor Nemeth was the subject of the hearing, and was found to have breached the code.
In 2017, Councillor Nemeth was found to have breached the code when he falsely accused then-council leader Warren Morgan of lying about Hove Library.
In 2020, he was again found to have breached it when he inaccurately claimed the council had “faked” rough sleeper figures.
However, there are little or no consequences for any breaches. On the last occasion, all the panel could do was ask the Conservative group leader Steve Bell to talk to Councillor Nemeth.
Before he was first elected in 2014, he came under fire for complaining on Twitter about how people committing suicide are an inconvenience to commuters.
Brighton and Hove News approached Councillor Nemeth for comment. He had not replied at the time of publication.
We also asked the local Conservative press office and group leader Councillor Steve Bell if they could clarify in which capacity Councillor Nemeth – who is not on the council’s education committee and is not a ward councillor for any of the schools – contacted headteachers, which he told parents he had done.
We asked if it is the group’s belief that children are being told they can’t say mum and dad – and whether it respects the council’s standards procedures.
They had not responded at the time of publication.
Ignoring politics Robert Nemeth is a brilliant Ward councilor – many others could learn from his hard work and dedication to the residents he represents.
Ignoring politics Hitler was a decorated veteran and a best-selling author. Seems a bit of a big thing to ignore about a politician, really.
You know perfectly that all I am saying is that Cllr Nemeth is a fantastic ward councilor, even though I don’t agree with all the time politically. Your Hitler analogy is poorly thought out.
If you hate cyclists and love toxic weedkiller then yes, he’s a brilliant ward councillor.
Glyphosate is not toxic if usage instructions are followed.
lol so if you ignoare his commments, views and general out look he’s a great role model
Realistically, has he instructed violence, no.
In regards to the cycling group, factually accurate.
Calm down everyone we have all said much worse over a beer.
Yeah. Some Guy owned you. LoL
If only more cllrs were like rob and Brighton might not be the green Cess pit has become. T
More councilors that are rude self-interested serial liars? Don’t be surprised when he acts against you or your family’s interests for his own benefit.
You’ve just defined all the Green councillors!
Totally agree, he is best Cllr
To be fair, he was correct regarding Hove library
I cannot comment on the rest of all these Wooster cases in which cllr Nemeth finds himself, but I was glad to appear as (Jeeves?) an Expert Witness when cllr Nemeth was put on Trial by cllr Morgan about Hove’s Carnegie Library. This was a surreal, five-hour afternoon. The upshot was that, when I highlighted this “lying” aspect of the sorry history, cllr Morgan said that he was simply doing what a Council officer had told him to do – close down the Library – rather than do as cllr Nemeth and the Green councillors (particularly Ollie Sykes) did: that is, look at the purported figures, and show that cllr Morgan was going along with her well-dodgy scenario. It was a long cold lonely winter from 2015 to 2016. Cllr Nemeth’s help was vital in readers’ efforts to keep their Library. I could never bring myself to speak again with Alderman Morgan and his sidekick in that terrible plot, cllr Robins: one has to maintain standards in life. It is worth adding that there was a further, covid-based attempt to close the Carnegie but this was fended off by cllr Mac Cafferty.
Hove deserves better than his trumpian politics. Local leaders should bring communities together not drive them apart.
Trumpian indeed. He has now attacked the journalist that wrote this piece.
Are you surprised after Jo writing this article attacking him? 🙄
Accurately reporting misbehaviour is not an attack.
Sneering at a portion of the electorate isn’t a hanging offence.
Commenting on a national educational issue about the training of teachers is fair comment.
Liking a “like” or an “angry” symbol is not a semiotic crime.
And trumped up charges are worthy of disdain.
This is not abouth whether Mr Nemeth is a criminal but whether he has breached the standards of conduct for councillors, which I hope you will be happy to learn expect a higher standard of public behaviour than just ‘doesn’t do any crimes’.
I know that in primary schools in Brighton they are now putting up transgender education posters supplied by Stonewall in classes of seven year olds. This is the bigger scandal.
Which schools ?
don’t expect a rational reply 😄
St Smokescreen’s primary.
Posters of people who are different to the norm? What a terrible, terrible scandal. Those poor children.
Schools are starting the drip drip indoctrination of our kids on the quiet and it must be nipped in the bud. Why can’t they just teach the three R’s.
its amazing how you parade your ignorance like a badge of honour. 🙄
He’s playing at divide-and-conquer. Pit one section of the electorate against the other and hope the bigger side votes for you.
This worked for Trump, up to a point. And Boris Johnson, up to point.
It’s working for him too. Up to a point.
Don’t forget how he lied about the OSR cycle lane being “snuck back in” to plans despite the fact that as a group spokesmen of the environment, transport & sustainability committee he would have always known it never left plans.