COMPLAINTS about a councillor's conduct were not "malicious" a statement from the council has confirmed.
Mole Valley District Council's standards committee ordered an investigation into Councillor Rosemary Dickson's conduct in May in relation to the granting of planning permission for a luxury golf course at Cherkley Court near Leatherhead.
The investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing prompting claims the complaints were malicious, but the council has moved to clarify the matter.
A spokeswoman said: "The matter of Cherkley Court has received more media attention in recent weeks. Mole Valley District Council would like to clarify that the independent report into the complaints made against Councillor Rosemary Dickson does not say that those allegations were malicious – this is the view of the Conservative Association as set out in a press release issued by them."
Mole Valley Conservative Association political agent Andrew Barrand conceded that the release may have been misleading.
He said: "It sounded, to people looking at it, that the report said the complainants were being vindictive when that wasn't the case. It was us saying it, not the council or the report."