Wymondham councillor Tony Holden resignation speech revealed

Tony Holden's valedictory speech as a Wymondham town councillor was cut short during the meeting earlier this month, when he launched into criticism of the chairwoman, Suzanne Nuri-Nixon, and clerk, Trevor Gurney. 

At the meeting, Mr Holden, who was announcing his retirement after nearly a decade of public service, said: "For nine years I have been a member of this council and although I have not seen eye to eye with fellow councillors I think I have served the people of Wymondham with energy, enthusiasm and to the best of my ability.

"But I am also saddened, saddened to see this administration allow itself to be so willingly led by the clerk. You have achieved nothing."

However, Mr Holden was cut off by the chairwoman, who said she would be forced to suspend the meeting if he continued. He walked out shortly after.

The full details of the speech have now been revealed.

It reads: "This is a sad case of the tail wagging the dog. As long as you continue to vote down ideas based on party politics, rather than merit, you will achieve next to nothing, as has been clearly demonstrated over the last 10 months.

"I firmly believe that Wymondham is a lovely town that has huge potential just waiting to be unlocked. I was hoping that this council would be ambitious and imaginative enough to help the town take its rightful place as the jewel of south Norfolk.

"Madam chairman, I expect you’re going to be asking for more time to get your feet under the table - and you’ve got another three years to do it. However, after what I have seen so far, I’m not very hopeful that anything will be achieved.

"I am not prepared to waste any more time sitting around waiting for the day when you bring forward your agenda for improvements to the town and the community that you represent.

"It is for this reason, and with a heavy heart, that I am resigning from this council with immediate effect."

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Ms Nuri-Nixon, Wymondham mayor and chairwoman, said it was "no secret" that Mr Holden did not see eye-to-eye with the clerk, and cut the speech short due to her "duty of care to employees".

Mayor and chair of Wymondham Town Council, Susanne Nuri-Nixon (Image: Suzanne Nuri-Nixon)She added: "The way he resigned was unfortunate - it would have been nice to say thank you for his service. But he knew what he was doing and it was hardly a graceful exit.

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I'll hold my hands up and say every day is a school day in this role. I felt like my hand was forced.

"I regret that things ended the way they did."

Mr Holden became the sole Conservative party member on the council after a dramatic political shift last May, putting the Liberal Democrats in overall control. 

The disagreement with the clerk is understood to centre around decisions on how the council spends its money, such as a £1m fund to make improvements to the town centre.

Mr Holden fears that the investment will be passed up in favour of spending on other projects.

There have been disagreements among councillors about funding for Wymondham town centre (Image: Denise Bradley)"Maybe you will see this as an opportunity to bring forward your own policies and ambitions," He planned to continue. "Although it would have been better to step into the role with some fully thought-out proposals from day one."

The resignation letter was circulated among councillors after the meeting. 

Following Mr Holden's decision to quit, a by-election will be called for North Wymondham ward if the position is contested by more than one person.