Dear John,

It is with some regret I am informing you of my resignation from the Cabinet, relinquishing my role as deputy leader and cabinet member for planning.

After the 2019 elections we managed to arrive at a joint administration with a balanced cabinet. It required a considerable effort on your part, and I thank you for that. For two and a half years we had a cabinet that worked well together and had ambition and drive to achieve improvements across the district. Whilst we accommodated a range of views, we were fortunate that we were all guided by a desire to provide for the needs of the whole district and build a better future for our residents.

We always knew the joint arrangement was a delicate balance and last year provided a challenge when you appointed two additional cabinet members. This was not a change agreed together, but a decision which you could, and did, make yourself. It was not a change I supported, but you did keep me informed of your deliberations and decision and I thank you for that courtesy. The Independent Group, and particularly those on cabinet, have tried to accommodate these changes whilst being aware they constituted a shift from the original arrangements for the joint administration. I suppose we were setting aside the politics that were doubtless behind your decision and putting the needs of the district first.

Yesterday's dismissal of Derek from the Cabinet has put us in a much more difficult position. It seems the decision was not related to any failing on Derek's part regarding his portfolio but resulted from personal differences between him and some Conservative group members.

Whilst his dismissal is within your gift as leader, I do not support it and cannot continue to serve on a cabinet that no longer seems to respect the involvement and contribution of its independent councillors.

I have given this careful consideration and discussed it with the other independent cabinet members who will be writing to you separately to confirm their positions. I have also discussed it with the Independent Group who fully support me and feel I, and they, have been let down by the recent changes you have made to cabinet which are contrary to our original agreement.

I hope you will be able to continue with all the good initiatives and projects that we have worked on over the last few years and wish you well for the remainder of your leadership.

Kind regards,