Thank you for subscribing!
A Reform UK councillor who claimed she received no training for the role sent her resignation letter to the wrong council.
Newcastle-under-Lyme borough councillor Christine Duffy wrote in her resignation letter that she had decided to step down from her position, as she received “very little or no training for the role.”
However, after she sent her resignation letter to Kidsgrove Town Council, instead of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, she has rescinded her resignation.
Electoral Commission rules state that a councillor cannot withdraw their resignation once it has been received.
Ms Duffy has argued that she withdrew her resignation before the letter had been received by the correct council officer.
The local Reform UK page shared a statement from Ms Duffy, which read: “I am not resigning as the Borough Councillor for the Town ward and I remain committed to representing the residents who elected me.”
The resignation came to light after a local political group, Kidsgrove Independents, claimed Ms Duffy handed her letter directly to the clerk of Kidsgrove council.
Ms Duffy continued: “I am appalled that a private letter, provided in confidence to the Clerk of Kidsgrove Town Council, has somehow been obtained by the Kidsgrove Independents and is now being exploited for party political purposes.
“Rather than indulging in petty party political games, our collective focus should be on serving residents and tackling the issues that matter to people across Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough. My position could not be clearer.
“I remain a Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Councillor for the Town ward and will continue carrying out the role I was elected to do.”
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s chief executive Gordon Mole confirmed to the BBC that by the time he received the letter, her resignation had been withdrawn.
He said: “If a councillor wishes to resign then they must follow a specific process as set out in the Local Government Act 1972.
“In this instance, a letter was hand-delivered to an incorrect address at Kidsgrove Town Council.
“By the time it was received by me, as the proper officer, I had been notified that the content of the letter had been withdrawn and the councillor concerned continues to serve as a borough councillor.”
It comes just weeks after a Reform UK council was forced to apologise after using AI to make it seem as though an entire village had undergone a clean-up.
The image claimed to show the results of a community tidy-up in the Kent village of Sarre.
The manipulated photograph depicted fencing of an impossibly brilliant white shade, whilst the neighbouring pavement appeared freshly laid, as if new tarmac had been applied.
A vehicle visible in both photographs remained in precisely the same spot.
The party's Herne Bay and Sandwich branch attributed the error to volunteer staff in a statement issued.
The branch explained the incorrect image had been "selected and uploaded in error due to an administrative oversight".
