Slough's standards committee upheld every breach in two complaints against Upton ward councillor Subash Mohindra, citing bullying and misuse of position.

A Slough councillor has been publicly censured after the council’s Standards Committee found he bullied a member of the public and workers at a local car repair business, and used his position as an elected member to take sides in private neighbour disputes. (Slough Borough Council, 10 August 2026)

Councillor Subash Mohindra, the ward member for Upton, faced two separate complaints, heard by the Standards Committee on 16 July and 7 August 2026. Both related to allegations of bullying, disrespect and inappropriate use of position, and the committee found every alleged breach of the Councillor Code of Conduct proven in both cases.

What the committee found

The published decision sets out breaches of three paragraphs of the code.

Under paragraph 1, which requires councillors to treat members of the public with respect, the committee found Cllr Mohindra “showed a clear lack of respect to an individual member of the public and operatives at Bucks Car Repairs” and showed no interest in understanding their views. Elected members, the decision notes, serve the public as a whole and should not get involved in private neighbour disputes or unreasonably take one section of the community’s side over the rights of another.

Under paragraph 2, which forbids bullying, the committee found he bullied the same individual and the garage’s workers “by repeatedly asserting the position of other residents and failing to consider the legitimate position of the complainants”. In relation to Bucks Car Repairs, this included threatening to call the police and have the premises closed down.

Under paragraph 6, which forbids councillors using their position improperly to anyone’s advantage or disadvantage, the committee found he sought the outcome that specific residents wanted “to the disadvantage of another resident and a legitimate business”, failed to demonstrate impartiality and became over-involved in disputes between neighbours.

The sanctions

The committee recommended that Cllr Mohindra be censured, that he attend training on his role as a councillor and in particular as a ward councillor, and that an offer of conciliation be made to representatives of Bucks Car Repairs.

The committee recorded as an aggravating feature that Cllr Mohindra “had chosen not to apologise or show remorse for his poor behaviour”. The council’s published statement does not record any response from Cllr Mohindra to the findings.

Councillor Dexter Smith, chair of the Standards Committee, said the findings were “concerning”. He said the role of a ward councillor “does not involve unreasonably taking the side of one resident over another, threatening to close down legitimate businesses, intervening in private disputes or bullying behaviour such as repeatedly attending premises and requesting that officers attend in a manner that diverts resources inappropriately.

“Such behaviour has no place in local government, where collaboration and mutual respect are essential.”

The committee also recommended that its Inclusive Leadership Charter, which Cllr Smith described as “our collective pledge for how we engage with each other and our communities”, is reported to Full Council in September and at Annual Council in future years.

Summary panel of the Slough Standards Committee decision on Councillor Subash Mohindra: two complaints heard on 16 July and 7 August 2026, breaches of three code paragraphs covering respect, bullying and misuse of position, and three sanctions of public censure, ward councillor training and a conciliation offer to Bucks Car Repairs
Graphic by Slough Daily

What it means for you

The sanctions stop at censure and training. A censure is a formal public finding by the council’s own standards body, and Cllr Mohindra remains the ward member for Upton.

If you believe a councillor has breached the code of conduct, anyone can complain. The council publishes guidance on making a code of conduct complaint, and complaints can be raised through its complaints and feedback pages. Complaints are assessed against the same code the committee applied in this case.

For the business involved, the committee’s remedy is voluntary: it recommended the council offer conciliation to representatives of Bucks Car Repairs, alongside the public censure.