A Brighton and Hove City Council Standards Panel has upheld a complaint against Councillor Ty Galvin, finding that he failed to follow the councillors’ code of conduct, including by sexually harassing then Mayor Amanda Grimshaw at a university graduation event.
The panel, which met on Friday 30 October and published its decision notice on Tuesday 3 November, recommends that Full Council formally censure Councillor Galvin and remove him from all committees and sub-committees.
What the complaint was about
The complaint was made by Councillor Grimshaw, who represents Hangleton and Knoll and was Mayor from May 2025 until May 2026. It concerned Councillor Galvin, who represents Hanover and Elm Grove and was Deputy Mayor at the time.
According to the decision notice, the allegation was that he touched her inappropriately as they posed for photographs, in their civic roles, at a University of Sussex graduation event on 25 July 2025. The allegation, together with reports of other inappropriate comments towards women, was referred to an external investigating officer.
The notice says the investigating officer concluded that witnesses described a pattern of inappropriate and sexualised remarks to female council officers and to a prospective councillor, and that on balance he had touched Councillor Grimshaw inappropriately at the event.
What the panel found
The panel found the evidence of the staff witnesses and the prospective councillor consistent and credible. It says they described a pattern of unwanted, sexually suggestive comments, including about their appearance, offers of alcohol and invitations to events at Brighton Racecourse.
The panel treated that evidence as relevant to the graduation event complaint. It also took account of a council officer who spoke to Councillor Grimshaw in person after the event, and who recalled her expressing anger and disgust about his conduct in words consistent with her own account.
On that evidence, the panel decided it was more likely than not that Councillor Galvin touched Councillor Grimshaw inappropriately and that his conduct was intentional. It ruled that the code applied because he was attending as Deputy Mayor and wearing the chains of office.
It found three breaches of the code:
Paragraph 1.1: he failed to treat the complainant with respect, with conduct the panel called unwanted, demeaning and distressing that violated her dignity.
Paragraph 2.2: he sexually harassed the complainant.
Paragraph 5.1: he adversely affected the dignity of both civic offices and brought his office and the authority into disrepute.
The sanctions
The panel will write to Councillor Galvin recommending that he apologise to the complainant, and the council’s Monitoring Officer is to offer him appropriate training.
It also recommends to Full Council that he is not appointed to any body to which Full Council makes appointments, that he is formally censured, and that he is removed from all committees and sub-committees. Those three recommendations need a decision by Full Council.
How the hearing was held
The panel was chaired by an independent person, Paul Cummins, who attended remotely. It decided to exclude the press and public from the rest of the meeting, saying the need to protect the people named in the investigation report outweighed the public interest in transparency, given the sensitive evidence and the junior status of the staff witnesses. It said a decision notice would be published in any event.
Councillor Grimshaw could not attend. The panel decided not to adjourn, noting both parties wanted to proceed and the effect a delay might have on their wellbeing.
The notice says Councillor Grimshaw and Councillor Galvin both have a right of appeal under the council’s arrangements. The full decision is published on the council’s democracy website, and the council’s own summary is on its news page.
Background
Councillor Grimshaw was Mayor of Brighton and Hove for 2025 to 2026, and Theresa Fowler became Mayor at the council’s Annual Meeting on 21 May 2026. The council announced Councillors Grimshaw and Galvin as its proposed Mayor and Deputy Mayor for 2025 to 2026 in May 2025.
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