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# Labour councillor accuses Conservative rival of using Burntwood Town Council officers as secretaries
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/labour-councillor-accuses-conservative-rival-of-using-burntwood-town-council-officers-as-secretaries/
- Published: 2018-05-11T07:31:25.000Z
- Updated: 2018-05-11T09:24:49.000Z
- Description: A Labour councillor has accused a Conservative rival of using Burntwood Town Council officers as secretaries.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, Burntwood, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:23, News

A Labour councillor has accused a Conservative rival of using Burntwood Town Council officers as secretaries.

[![Cllr Brenda Rigby](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/rigby.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2018/05/10/calls-for-burntwood-councillor-living-190-miles-away-from-the-town-to-resign/rigby/)

Cllr Brenda Rigby

Cllr Brenda Rigby [has faced calls to resign](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2018/05/10/calls-for-burntwood-councillor-living-190-miles-away-from-the-town-to-resign/) after moving 190 miles away from the town and directing all calls and emails via the council’s own contact details.

But Labour Cllr Rob Birch said it was inappropriate for officers to be left dealing with Cllr Rigby’s correspondence.

“Only being contactable through the town council staff is an abuse of those staff, who are not employed as her secretaries,” Cllr Birch said.

“It is an inappropriate use of taxpayer resources, and breaches the confidentiality of any member of the public who may need to seek help and advice from their councillor when they are forced to go through a third party.”

Burntwood Town Council said Cllr Rigby’s move to Alston in Cumbria – a three-and-a-half hour drive away – [did not hamper her ability to be an effective councillor](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2018/05/10/burntwood-town-council-insists-living-190-miles-away-does-not-stop-councillor-being-an-active-member/).

A council statement said: “Cllr Brenda Rigby was elected as a Member for the Summerfield and All Saints Ward at the parish council elections in May 2015\. Subsequent to those elections she has moved and her new address is shown on the Burntwood Town Council website.

“Cllr Rigby continues to be an active member of the town council and her change of address does not alter that.”

[![Cllr Rob Birch](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/img_20180511_092234.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2018/05/11/labour-councillor-accuses-conservative-rival-of-using-burntwood-town-council-officers-as-secretaries/img%5F20180511%5F092234/)

Cllr Rob Birch

But Cllr Birch said such a claim did not hold water – and accused the Conservatives of not doing enough to tackle the issue.

“As a councillor I am constantly engaged with my Labour colleagues in work on my ward, dealing with problems raised by members of the public, reporting highways issues in my local community and speaking to my ward members to gauge their views,” he said.

“I beg to differ on the claim that anyone who has no dealings with her ward, and who cannot be directly contacted by the public, can make any valid contribution to the business of the town council the local community.

“Having said that, the level of contribution made by many of those on the Conservative group is at a similar level to that of Cllr Rigby, so she doesn’t stand out from many in her group.”