Manchester councillor quits after racist bullying claim

Marcia Hutchinson said she thought long and hard about her decision

A Manchester councillor has quit six months into her term claiming she was bullied because of her race.

Marcia Hutchinson, who was elected in Ancoats and Beswick, has resigned from the role, blaming the "toxic culture" of the ruling Labour group.

She claims she was "treated differently" as one of the only black councillors.

Labour said all allegations were found to be untrue after being "thoroughly investigated" by the whips' office.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Ms Hutchinson's decision comes the day before Sir Richard Leese stands down as council leader after 25 years, making way for Councillor Bev Craig to take the reins.

Ms Hutchinson said she "sincerely hopes" the new leader can "rectify the toxic culture'" of the current regime.

She said: "I thought long and hard about this - but it's too late for me personally.

"I know myself well enough to know at this stage of my life, my mental health has to come first. I also think that the bullying isn't going to stop."

'Can't function'

The 58-year-old, who was awarded an MBE in 2010 for services to cultural diversity, published a letter of resignation on social media.

She claimed she has endured more racism and bullying in the past five years than the rest of her life.

Months after being elected, she claimed the Labour group whips "make up the rules" and "target anyone they don't like".

She said when she was signed off sick with depression the bullying continued, with all Labour councillors copied into emails about her conduct.

She said: "If you're targeted by the whips' office, you end up in a black hole of emails and threats.

"It takes over your whole life. It's intentional - it means you can't function."

Manchester Labour group secretary Pat Karney said all of the allegations made by Ms Hutchinson were found to be untrue but he was "sad to see her go".

He said: "There's no toxic culture in the Manchester Labour group. We've got 90-odd councillors who are dedicated to working for their local communities."

A Labour Party spokesperson said: "The Labour Party takes all complaints extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures."

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