A senior Medway councillor has accepted she broke rules for public officials when she had an argument with a female member of staff.

Jane Chitty, the Conservative portfolio holder for strategic planning, left the woman in tears after shouting at her in the entrance to the council's headquarters at Gun Wharf, Chatham.

Officials of Medway's Standards Committee said she failed to treat the employee - Labour's former political officer, Laura Steward - with respect.

However, they concluded that Cllr Chitty (pictured right) was not guilty of bullying.

Ms Steward later resigned from the council and has since complained the investigation took 15 months.

The Standards Committee will decide on Monday what punishment - if any - Mrs Chitty faces.

Mrs Chitty has been in repeated trouble recently, being cleared of allegations of electoral fraud brought by the Labour Group and overcoming a Conservative deselection vote that could have seen the former mayor of Rochester barred from standing in Strood North.

She was saved when the successful candidates later moved to another ward.