Council meeting suspended after a public protest is held

A COUNTY council meeting was dramatically suspended after anti-racism campaigners, operating under the Stafford Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (SCARF), launched a protest from the public gallery.

- By PHILIP CORRIGAN Local Democracy Reporter

The group insisted they would not leave until Reform UK councillors accused of posting racist remarks on social media stepped down.

The disruption brought the full Staffordshire County Council gathering to an abrupt halt, forcing the meeting to be adjourned for approximately 40 minutes.

Police were called to the County Buildings in Stafford and officers arrived to escort the demonstrators out after a brief discussion.

The core of the controversy was the recent resignation of council leader Ian Cooper, which occurred days after allegations of him making racially offensive comments on X and YouTube emerged. These online statements reportedly included derogatory remarks aimed at Black and Asian public figures.

Following an internal probe into the matter, Cllr Cooper had his membership of Reform UK revoked by the party.

This was officially justified due to his failure to disclose certain social media accounts during the candidate vetting process.