New Reform councillor already tires of "dull and boring" meetings

Less than a month after their successful local election campaign, Reform have already lost a number of their councillors, having fallen foul of a rule which bars them from also working for their local authority. By-elections to replace those who failed to declare their employment cost the taxpayer around £10,000 a pop.

But another councillor who seemed to be on the verge of quitting weeks into his new role has a rather more unconventional reason: Barry Martin, elected to represent the Stretton ward on Staffordshire Council, asked constituents on Facebook whether he should step down having attended a single meeting and finding it “dull and boring”.

“Now thinking of resigning,” he wrote. “Moving on to more interesting things to do, so dull n boring, the next months as far as i can see long long mtgs with contrary ppl, endless travel, training n emails, rein it in on the social media.

“Moi? Barry doesn’t do dull and boring, as u know. Maybs gone up a seriously irritating, brain-numbing branch line and the pay is so poor for all u do. pushy others demand incessantly. admins strangely n leaders on the big bucks.

“your thoughts. As the song goes – Should I stay, or should I go?.”

It was a tough call for the people of Staffordshire, who have form in the area of hard right politicians who turn out to be less than assiduous: in the noughties, BNP councillor Steve Batkin only spoke twice in his first two years and one of those was to ask what the word “abstain” meant.

Despite very little engagement with his post, Martin later wrote: “Had a blip. NOT RESIGNING. Team Reform on it!” The post has since been deleted, and Barry can look forward to years of “long long mtgs” ahead!