A COUNCILLOR that was probed for a “wholly inappropriate outburst” has resigned effective immediately.
Cllr John Baldwin (Lib Dem: Belmont) has announced he will be stepping back as a councillor following an internal Liberal Democrat disciplinary hearing.
They found the Belmont representative, who was going to stand as a Lib Dem candidate for Riverside, had brought ‘disrepute’ to the party and have barred him from standing as Liberal Democrat candidate for 12 months effective immediately.
This followed a “wholly inappropriate outburst” directed at a council officer during a corporate parenting forum in November, which was attended by a 17-year-old.
As a result, Liberal Democrat leader Simon Werner (Pinkneys Green) took Cllr Baldwin off all of his appointed council committees and sub-committees in December pending the investigation.
READ MORE: Maidenhead councillor removed from committees following "outburst"
A Royal Borough Council code of conduct investigation into the same incident is still pending.
Cllr Werner said at the time Cllr Baldwin recently changed his coronary prescriptions and this has had a severe effect on his sleep patterns, which in turn has affected his general wellbeing.
Reacting to the Lib Dem disciplinary panel’s decision, Cllr Baldwin, who was found to have ‘bullied’ the Royal Borough council leader in a separate incident, decided to resign as councillor, adding he will not appeal the decision.
He said: “I wish my colleagues in Riverside Ward and across the Borough well in the coming elections on May 4. There has never been a moment in time when the borough needed fresh leadership more than now and the depth of our candidates’ talent pool will, I’m sure, increase in my absence.
READ MORE: Maidenhead councillor guilty of 'bullying' council leader
“I will continue to take an active interest in local affairs and hope to co-operate with several community groups. As an elected member, this is not always possible. It can create conflicts, particularly around planning and environmental matters, which as everyone knows are very close to my heart.”
Cllr Werner added: “John has achieved so much as a councillor over the last four years. His support and hard work for the Maidenhead and Windsor Green Teams, ecology groups across the Borough, climate change campaigners, Maidenhead Great Park and the Friends of Deerswood Meadow show that he is a committed, engaged, hard-working champion, who believes everyone’s voice should be heard.
“John has shown himself to be an excellent councillor, but Liberal Democrats must hold ourselves and each other to a very high standard at all times.
“That it has come to this is deeply regrettable. John has owned his mistakes and apologised for them and looks forward to re-establishing the trust that is necessary at the heart of local representative politics.”
A Lib Dem candidate replacement for Riverside ward will be found at a later date.
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