Councillor steps down following a flag removal row

A LABOUR councillor has resigned from a South Derbyshire council after an investigation into his involvement in removing flags from lampposts.

- By EDDIE BISKNELL

Councillor Stephen Taylor, below, has quit Woodville Parish Council after the probe into the removal of British and English flags last August.

He says he has no intention of resigning as the representative for Woodville on South Derbyshire District Council - a position he has held for 31 years.

Reform UK members, including county council leader Alan Graves, have called for Cllr Taylor to step down from the district authority. They claim his actions amount to misconduct and that this warrants resignation from all elected positions.

Parish councillors do not receive an allowance, while district councillors receive around £9,000 a year, and Cllr Taylor pockets an extra £11,368 for his role as chair of the environmental and development services committee.