A DEVON councillor caught up in a row over protests outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers says she is ‘delighted’ to have been cleared of any wrong-doing.

Exeter city councillor Alison Sheridan (Con, St Loyes) was investigated by the council’s monitoring officer after wearing her official city council lanyard as she joined the anti-asylum hotel protest. It has been announced that there will be no further action against her.

She was pictured outside the hotel near Exeter Airport, draped in a Union Flag and clearly wearing her ID lanyard. Cllr Sheridan said she wore the lanyard in order to be ‘transparent and open’ about her presence at the protest.

Police kept watch as the group of people with flags, home-made placards and a loudhailer staged their protest against the use of the hotel for asylum seekers. They were met by a larger group from the Stand Up To Racism Exeter group, some holding placards saying ‘Refugees Welcome Here’.

There were similar protests and counter-protests at the hotel throughout August.

Cllr Diana Moore (Green, St Davids) said: “Cllr Sheridan’s behaviour was inflammatory and designed to cause distress to those in the hotel.”

In all, more than 70 people, described by Cllr Sheridan as ‘activists’, complained, among them the leaders of the Liberal Democrats and Greens on the city council as well as Exeter’s Labour MP Steve Race and the Stand Up To Racism Exeter group .

Cllr Sheridan said: “They tried to cancel me in a politically-motivated campaign.”

Having defied calls for her resignation, she also refused to apologise. “I knew I had done absolutely nothing wrong,” she said.

The monitoring officer’s report says Cllr Sheridan was exercising her right to freedom of expression and right to freedom of peaceful assembly which are safeguarded by the European Convention of Human Rights and under common law.

The report goes on: “Although it might be said to be preferable that councillors attend protests in a personal capacity, there is no legal or constitutional bar to them doing so in their capacity as councillors. Indeed, it would be difficult to separate the role as a councillor and as a private individual in these circumstances.

“Arguably, participation in the protest by Cllr Sheridan strengthens democratic accountability by making it clear to her constituents where she stands as a councillor on a key political issue. It is ultimately a matter for the electorate to endorse or reject those views at elections.

“There is no indication that Cllr Sheridan was acting unlawfully. Police were present at the protest and there were no arrests.

“Although lively at times, this appears to have been a peaceful protest with robust views expressed by both groups.”

It was also decided that Cllr Sheridan had not bullied or harassed anyone at the protest.

“I have been vindicated on every single complaint made against me,” she said.

“It has now been proven that they were wrong on every count.

“It is a complete victory for free speech and I am delighted that I have been completely cleared of any wrong-doing, and that others have been shown up for what they are and that it was a politically motivated attack on me.”