Reform councillor quits two weeks after election

Wayne Titley was one of 49 Reform candidates elected at the beginning of the month in Staffordshire

A new Staffordshire County councillor has stepped down, just two weeks after being elected.

Wayne Titley won the Eccleshall and Gnosall division for Reform UK, beating the Conservative Jeremy Pert by just 27 votes.

However, he attracted criticism for a post on his Facebook account in March that called on the navy to intercept small boats attempting to reach Britain and use a "volley of gun fire aimed at sinking them".

Neither the party nor Mr Titley have addressed that post, which has since been removed, but he said he was resigning for "personal reasons". Reform said it was disappointing to see the level of abuse he had faced, which meant he could no longer continue.

The party swept to power at the beginning of the month winning 49 out of the 62 seats on the county council, which had been led by the Conservatives since 2009.

"Wayne would have made an excellent champion for the people of Eccleshall and Gnosall and we wish him well for the future," Reform said in a statement.

"We are now getting ready to contest the by-election and ensure local people have a strong Reform voice to represent them."

Philip Atkins, a former Conservative council leader, said the level of abuse often faced on social media meant it was all the more important that political parties carried out thorough vetting checks before putting candidates forward.

It was a view echoed by Lib Dem Stafford borough councillor Alec Sandiford, who said the county council would now have to pick up the bill for a "needless by-election".

Staffordshire County Council said details of the by-election would be confirmed in due course.

The first full council meeting takes place on 22 May, where the incoming leader is expected to set out his priorities for the county.