Meddling members of the Corporation of Hamilton have forced out senior staff and caused a rift at the municipality, according to the former chief engineer.

Ian Hind told The Royal Gazette that City Hall was "the most awful environment to work in" because of interference from elected Aldermen and a Councillor and poor management from former Secretary Kelly Miller. The Scotsman, whose career has taken him all over the world, said: "That has got to be one of the most difficult organisations I have ever worked for in 30 years.

"I never saw anything like it anywhere else, where members would give staff personal instructions, come into the office and interfere in the day-to-day running of the organisation. I have always thought it was hugely inappropriate."

The 57-year-old — who has worked in locations as diverse as Glasgow, Zambia and Saudi Arabia as well as a stint at the Ministry of Works and Engineering — described the interference as "unprecedented" and said it caused much resentment among staff.

He accused Alderman David Dunkley and former members William Black and Graeme Outerbridge, both of whom left City Hall recently, of being the worst culprits.

"There was a core of members who took part in the daily running of the organisation and others who would only address issues at the appropriate meetings," he said.

"There were clearly members who understood what the boundary was. There was a schism right down the middle of the Corporation."

Mr. Outerbridge denied he had interfered in anything outside of his remit. "I never went to him without permission first from the Secretary. I did not interfere at all."

Mr. Black said: "I know that certain members were involved a little bit too much but I don't think that I was at all. I'm rather surprised because he (Ian Hind) and I worked very closely."

Mr. Dunkley said: "The issues you have discussed with Mr. Hind are confidential staff matters that have been dealt with at length, in properly constituted and minuted Corporation meetings, by all the members of the Corporation of Hamilton.

As much as I would like to defend actions taken by the full Corporation, I am not in a position to reveal the nature of these deliberations, which are considered private and privileged, as are all personnel matters between staff and the Corporation."

Mr. Hind left City Hall in January and is now director of operations at Bermuda Emissions Control.

He claimed at least ten senior managers, including him, had left since 2005 because of their unhappiness in the job.

His words echo those of treasurer Geoff Bell, who claimed in a leaked letter of resignation that 12 senior or semi-senior staff had handed in their notice over a three-year period because of Ms Miller, who herself left City Hall last month. Mr. Bell's last day is August 26.

Mr. Hind said Ms Miller's "personal management style and her competence" made his job difficult.

And it's clear from a letter she wrote in February to the Mayor and members that she was similarly unenamoured with him.

Ms Miller wrote that there were "clear and substantive issues" with Mr. Hind's actions that needed to be addressed.

The ten-page letter — shown to this newspaper by Mr. Outerbridge — says Mr. Hind imported diesel engines for a third party in the name of the Corporation, gave permission for the erection of a tower crane without proper consent and allowed a birthday party to be held at the Works Depot.

Mr. Hind told this newspaper it was within his power to allow parties in the depot offices.

Mr. Hind said he did raise a Corporation of Hamilton purchase order in order to get some engines bound for Bermuda College off the docks. He did so as a member of the College's technical education advisory committee after the engines were delayed.

He said there was never any suggestion that it would cost the Corporation money. "It was clear that Kelly Miller and others thought that Ian Hind was up to no good," Mr. Hind said. "Kelly Miller decided to take this to the members and the thing just blew up."

The final straw for him came when he was told he should not have given permission for the tower crane on Serpentine Road.

"I just completely refute that the City Engineer does not have the right to do what I did," he said.

"She (Kelly Miller) and David Dunkley decided that this was a major crisis for reasons that I will never understand."

The row led to Mr. Hind resigning, despite his love of the job.

"I think the job of City Engineer is one of the best jobs I have ever had," he said. "It's a huge, wonderful job for an engineer to have. I have nothing but praise for the colleagues under me, most of whom are still there and have been there for many years."

He urged Government not to radically change the Corporation, as it suggested it would in this year's Throne Speech.

"It's people," said Mr. Hind. "It's always people. You get a good manager in there and good staff and there'd be no complaints."