A COUNCILLOR who was accused of breaking his council's code of conduct has cleared his name.

Steve Kay, cabinet member for education with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, was reported by a fellow councillor last autumn for allegedly breaking confidentiality, bringing the authority into disrepute and improperly securing an advantage for himself.

The informant, who has not been named, alleged that Coun Kay disclosed confidential information in a press release about the authority's failure to attract enough funding for a City Academy for East Cleveland, and Coun Kay's opinion on the matter.

But the ethical standards officer on the Standards Board for England found that there was no evidence that Coun Kay disclosed information given to him in confidence and decided that no action should be taken against him.

Coun Kay said: "I am delighted I have been found not guilty on all three counts.

"Had I been found guilty, we might as well have said goodbye to public debate at local level. Ironically, in my new role as cabinet member for education, it is my job to provide the long-awaited new deal for secondary education in East Cleveland.

"The only thing I regret is that this unfounded allegation, through no fault of mine, has cost thousands of pounds in public money."