City Mayor condemns SCC Leader’s remarks in answer to Lib Dem question

In the 8 December meeting of Lichfield City Council, Cllr Paul McDermott, Leader of the City Council Liberal Democrats, asked a question to the Mayor of Lichfield, Cllr Claire Pinder-Smith under Standing Order 8(2):

“Madam Mayor will you, on behalf of Lichfield City Council, unequivocally condemn the divisive and racist language and opinions reportedly expressed on social media by the leader of Staffordshire County Council, Cllr Ian Cooper, and call for his resignation from his position as leader should the allegations against him be proved correct?”

The Mayor answered that she was happy to condemn all such divisive and racist language on behalf of the Council, and her reply was greeted by applause by councillors from all parties.

After the meeting Cllr McDermott commented, “I am happy that the Mayor made such a strong statement which left no room for doubt. It should be remembered that Cllr Cooper’s expulsion from Reform UK was not on account of the words he used, but was for not having previously let the party know that he had used these social media accounts. We can only hope that Cllr Cooper will have the decency to resign his position as a councillor and retire from public life. ”