A Burntwood councillor at the centre of an investigation over public funds he failed to pay back has told Lichfield Live he intends to resign.
Cllr Thomas Loughbrough-Rudd has come under fire after it emerged he had failed to return the full total of £924 he was given by Staffordshire County Council for a tree planting scheme that never went ahead.
Despite being given the cash last year, it emerged this week that only half of it had been returned so far – with the remainder expected to be handed back next month.
The Burntwood North representative has previously resigned from Burntwood Town Council and Hammerwich Parish Council but had clung on to his remunerated county council seat.
However, after being asked by Lichfield Live once more for a reason why the money had not been repaid, Cllr Loughbrough-Rudd finally broke his silence, confirming his intention to resign and revealing he had contacted the chairman of Staffordshire County Council to instigate the process.
The controversy unfolded after he was awarded a total of £924 for the project, with the first payment made as early as March 2021.
He was awarded the funding through the climate change initiative via former councillor Helen Fisher, who has since quit to become Deputy Staffordshire Commissioner. However, Cllr Loughbrough-Rudd’s Nature Nuturing Community Interest Company which applied for the funding was dissolved after failing to even submit the required confirmation statement within 12 months.
The county council eventually began an internal audit investigation after it became apparent that the funding had not been spent on trees – a move which has now led to the matter being referred to Staffordshire Police.
But mystery continues to surround the reasons why Cllr Loughbrough-Rudd could not return the funding in full when the issue was first flagged in November last year.
He has previously said he would provide answers to a series of questions regarding what had happened to the money given it has not been returned – promises that have so far, like the trees, failed to materialise.
Lichfield Live understands that the cash was paid directly to Cllr Loughbrough-Rudd rather than to his company, despite the organisation being listed as the applicant on the county council’s documentation relating to the fund.
The father of triplets has previously spoken of how a busy home life had contributed to the failure of the planting scheme to go ahead.
“The trees were intended to be planted on a path at Chasewater, which the rangers and the organisers of the country park were in agreement with. I had hoped this to be part of something much bigger.
“The trees were to maintained by a group of volunteers who sought to build an orchard and would be self-funding. This did not happen and is a major factor as to why the whole thing fell through.
“The reason for the delay was also because I was moving home straight after the election and the ranger who I was in contact with seemed to not have a nine to five daily working hours, which provided a huge problem during a time when we were leaving lockdown and getting our lives back to normal.”
Cllr Thomas Loughbrough-Rudd speaking in December 2021
Resigning before the money is paid back in full is not a good look. But then nothing about this councillor and this issue has been a good look since he first got elected to the county council.
As well as outstanding questions that need to be answered about this grant and the role of others like Helen Fisher and county council officers, there are a lot more issues that need to be resolved.
Why was this person selected as the most suitable candidate by the Conservatives who have a responsibility of care towards him that they have simply abandoned since this story first broke.
There are questions about where he was actually living at the time of his election to the county council.
There are also other issues regarding his personal conduct that are worthy of scrutiny.
My worry is that none of these questions and issues will ever be properly investigated now. At least we have Lichfield Live still trying to find the truth.
“The father of triplets”, LL? I thought that particular myth had been discounted – or so I’ve been told, including by numerous senior Conservatives. This is not to stick the boot in but to – I hope – get them to come clean. I feel sorry for Tom that he finds himself in this position but they knew there were serious credibility issues many, many months ago.
The triplets are a myth? Really? But he posted photos of them on Twitter and didn’t one of them have a serious health issue that needed to urgent hospital treatment.
I remember seeing loads of heartfelt wishes from loads of people towards Cllr Loughbrough Rudd when his fiance Sophia gave birth and a lot of concern from people regarding the health of his little daughter.
He was planning a big wedding with Sophia at one point, but then she seemed to disappear from Twitter completely and then the next thing is he is announcing his engagement to another woman.
It does seem quite complicated and chaotic. I also see mention of some sort of polyamory relationship with his new fiance and another man now too.
No wonder he has been struggling to pay back the £924 in full. He seems to be juggling so many things in his life – both real and fictional – that he probably just mislaid the money.
But now has he also mislaid his triplets and his former fiance? And do senior members of the Conservatives locally know all about this but have been keeping quiet? I wonder why on earth they would be doing that?