THE chairman of a community trust has stood down after allegations she bullied staff were upheld.

Jackie Smith stepped aside in the summer as chairman of Trust Thamesmead, after eight years at the trust, to allow allegations by six senior staff members to be investigated.

Mick Hayes, the trust’s chief executive was suspended from his job in July after he took out a grievance procedure for bullying against Ms Smith, who is also a Greenwich councillor for Thamesmead Moorings.

His allegations were followed my similar ones from five other senior staff members.

Now the trust has announced Cllr Smith’s resignation and the reinstatement of Mr Hayes.

Following the complaints the trust, which had an income last year of more than £2m, set up an investigation into the allegations.

The trust issued a statement last week saying: “It has been publicly reported there have been some internal matters which have now been resolved.

“Trust Thamesmead would like to make it clear there was no finding of public impropriety of any kind against Cllr Smith, who had stated some time ago it was her intention to resign when these issues had been drawn to a conclusion.”

Onay Kasab, from Greenwich Unison, said his branch had been asked to represent the staff who made complaints of bullying against Cllr Smith and said their complaints had been upheld.

He said: “We are very pleased with the outcome and now want to work with the trust to help put things right.”

But he said the union had now raised concerns about the role of Cllr Smith as cabinet member for children and young people’s services, “in the light of the allegations against her and what the findings were”.

Mr Kasab said: “There is the issue of ‘trust and confidence’ which applies to workers because of something they do outside their work.

“We think this should apply to councillors too.”

He said Unison would now like to see Greenwich Council conduct its own inquiry into Cllr Smith’s behaviour.

Fellow Thamesmead Moorings councillor Peter Kotz has also resigned from the trustees.

The trust, which said it was “grateful for the significant contribution Cllr Smith has made”, is now looking for a new chairman.

It says it is also undertaking a “major governance review” which will involve the trust’s senior staff.