CONSERVATIVE councillor Drew Mellor has issued a lengthy statement announcing his resignation as leader of BCP Council.

Cllr Mellor, who represents the Talbot and Branksome Woods ward, was elected to the top post in October 2020.

He has also confirmed that he had already made the decision not to stand to be in May's local elections.

Cllr Mellor's statement can be read in full below

"I’m immensely proud of the achievements of the Council and the Administration I have had the honour to lead since October 2020. Most importantly, the huge improvements in our Children's Services - built off the back of a near doubling of that budget to support the most vulnerable in our community. But by  almost any other measure, the material financial boosts we’ve given to almost every council service – from our street cleaning investments, our adults services, or the step change in our seafront and tourist services – have meant the improvements we’ve made are impossible to ignore.

"We’ve had record investment in Cleaner, Greener and Safer communities, delivering a more than 20 per cent reduction in Anti-social behaviour in the last year alone, all whilst setting one of the lowest council tax strategies in the country that will have kept over £62m in residents pockets by the end of the next term. With a largely balanced budget over the next four years this council has never been in a more financially stable position.

"My strategy has been simple: a low council tax, high ambition approach to local government. Unleashing the potential of this fantastic region, but not always resorting to tax hikes to pay for the increasing costs of services. That’s why I’ve continually pushed for finding new, sustainable income sources as opposed to the easy solution of selling off the family silver and putting the financial burden onto our residents. But it has become clear that this has been at odds with civil servant and treasury orthodoxy who appear determined that the future of local government is one of maximum council tax and cuts to services.

"This approach is not something I am prepared to deliver. I simply don't believe the council taxpayer should always be the hardest hit. And we've proven that successive budgets can be balanced whilst freezing council tax. However, now successive local government ministers, our senior officers and our auditor are determined to hit the tax payer. The most recent letter from our auditor was the final straw – making clear that despite our long-term financial stability now assured, any attempt to not seek a full Council Tax rise by generating legal, government sanctioned income streams would be vetoed without even seeing the detail. The system is determined to stop any efforts to lessen the burden to council tax payers, and that’s not a situation I can continue to preside over.

"We have a Conservative team locally who are committed to delivering exceptional services and low taxes. They clearly need to be supported at the May elections when there will be an exceptionally clear choice. Every other major political party locally has signalled that they are against anything other than a full council tax hike and against new income streams. That is the choice voters will face in May – those who fight for their residents, and those who give up and take the easy choices.

"Because of all of this, and having already taken the decision not to stand again in May, I feel it is right that those who are standing should lead the next few months into those elections. Therefore with a heavy heart but proud record of investing in our incredible region, I am today resigning as leader of BCP Council with immediate effect."