THE new Reform UK leader at Staffordshire County Council has been urged to “draw a line” under scandals that have rocked the authority over the past four months.
Cllr Ian Cooper had initially taken the hotseat following the party’s election victory last May, before resigning in December after concerns were raised over social media posts.
He was then replaced by Cllr Chris Large, who resigned just days later and has since followed Cllr Cooper in switching to become an independent member of the county council.
That has left Cllr Martin Murray acting as interim leader for the Reform UK group, but he has now been handed the role on a permanent basis.
Cllr Philip White, leader of the Conservative opposition group, said that Cllr Murray needed to ensure his party moved on from internal scandals and focused on leading the county council effectively.
He said:
“After 100 days of chaos caused by racism scandals, we are about to appoint our third council leader since December.
“Staffordshire has huge challenges, including roads in the worst state we have ever seen and growing demand for social care and special educational needs, so we need Reform to move on from their internal issues to focusing on running the council.”
Cllr White said that while Cllr Large and Cllr Cooper had left the Reform UK group, he was disappointed to see Cllr Peter Mason remaining as a member of the cabinet.
He had previously apologised after being linked to derogatory social media posts about black women and the police.
Cllr White said:
“Cllr Murray has the opportunity to draw a line under these scandals and show he takes these issues seriously by removing Cllr Peter Mason from his cabinet.
“For the good of all of Staffordshire we hope he will act to take the county in a better direction.”
