Geldeston Parish Council left with one member following row

John Crowfoot has been accused of being abusive by other council members, which he denies

A Norfolk village has been left with only one parish councillor after the rest resigned in protest at the alleged behaviour of its remaining member.

Six councillors and the clerk have left Geldeston Parish Council, accusing member John Crowfoot of being abusive.

They posted an open letter giving their reasons on the parish noticeboard and have apparently refused to tell Mr Crowfoot where the board's key is.

Mr Crowfoot denied the accusations and said the letter was "libellous".

Police officers visited Mr Crowfoot at his home to investigate the rows.

He said it had been a "waste of everyone's time" and added: "I didn't want any of this to happen."

The letter accused Mr Crowfoot of conducting himself in an "unacceptable manner" and that he had been "abusive" to fellow councillors, the parish clerk and members of the public.

The resignations came after the council held a meeting on 10 May, following the local elections on 4 May.

A member of the public walked out during a discussion about fencing at the village's allotments, after reportedly being upset by remarks made by an unnamed councillor.

Mr Crowfoot acknowledged this was him, but said he felt correct procedures were not being followed in the meeting.

Meetings are usually held in the village hall in the parish, which is on the northern bank of the River Waveney, near Beccles

There were also said to be rows about who should lead the meeting and be in the chair.

Mr Crowfoot said he had no intention of resigning and was working with South Norfolk Council, which oversees the running of the authority, to try to help the parish council continue.

'Extraordinary event'

The letter remained locked inside the parish notice board.

Mr Crowfoot said it was "ridiculous" that he could not remove the letter because no-one would tell him who had the key.

"There are important issues that people in Geldeston want examined - road safety, flooding and so on. You can't carry on without a parish council," he said.

"It's been an extraordinary event, but we will get on with addressing local issues for local people. It's been a bit of a storm in a teacup."

A South Norfolk Council spokesman said district councillors had been co-opted on to the parish council to enable it to continue functioning, and that it would be looking for new people to seek election or be co-opted.

A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "Police received a report of harassment on June 2, 2023. Officers visited the suspect at their home address and words of advice were given."

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