Alicja Barnes, the sole owner of 12 Magpies Accountancy which was awarded a £800-a-month deal to supply services to Hadleigh town council where she works as the project officer, has resigned.

Ms Barnes will leave the council's employ at the end of February, while the contract agreed with Hadleigh town clerk Wendy Brame and passed by councillors, starts on March 1.

Although mayor Gordon McLeod has failed to respond to media requests to comment on Ms Barnes, or the whole controversy, Nub News has been told by someone close to the council office, that Ms Barnes has quit.

Nub News' revelation that the person behind 12 Magpies Accountancy was Ms Barnes, who was the council's Responsible Financial Officer until last Thursday, when she was replaced by Mrs Brame, sparked outrage from Hadleigh tax-payers.

Mrs Brame had refused to give councillors details of who was behind 12 Magpies, when quizzed ahead of the vote, although only one, Cllr Peter Gower voted against, while Cllr Rolf Beggerow abstained, but the remaining councillors, Diane Bayliss, Helen Elliott, Roger Howlett, Brian Loftus, Sue Monks, Rickaby Shearly-Sanders, William Wilson and Teresa Wright. all passed the motion.

Shock and outrage at controversial contract revelation

Subsequent investigations found the 12 Magpies Facebook page had blocked numerous people, seemingly anyone known for scrutinising Hadleigh town council, including ex-councillors, journalists and residents.

However, others not happy with the council but not known directly by Ms Barnes, were able to access the page while more than one person used the phone number to contact her, but were given short thrift.

Many people took to social media to express their dismay with accusations of 'corruption', immoral and unethical behaviour and one letter writer to Nub News expressed their disgust at the council's decision.

Readers' Letters

Acclaimed columnist Rowland Taylor's Ghost went into details on what he has dubbed England Most Useless (EMUS) council after perviously questioning who actually ran the elected body, councillors or clerk?

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Among the comments of social media were:

Wow , what is going on with our town council , this stinks.

its our council tax that pays their salaries think both of them should hang their heads in shame and resign.

 I bet they would vote differently if it was their money that is being spent. It's easy to vote on something that has no real repercussions. Through all the politics big or small it's always the same and it always will be. My parents always taught me to treat people the way I want to be treated and respect the things they have the way I respect my things. It is a shame that some people just do not think the same.

The deputy mayor councillor Wilson who chaired the meeting should of resigned by now.

 It Stinks, XXXX. The processes, the policies, the policies that don't exist are trying to be enforced.

Imagine all those councillors and members of the public waking up today and realising that someone went through Facebook blocking them so that they couldn't find out anything about a company run by their ex RFO? Beggars belief!

You wouldn't normally block Councillors and others who may have a vested interest, if everything was above board. It isn't open and authentic behaviour.

These quotes and more can be found on the Hadleigh Nub News Facebook page.

Another correspondent compared this unsavoury event with the Pickwick Papers, where Charles Dickens created the fictional town of Eatanswill, based on the then-corrupt practices in Sudbury – "remind you of anywhere?"

Meanwhile on X, formerly Twitter. one group lamented the damage being done to the reputation of the market town, not just the disgraced council, and called for resignations.

What do you think? Do you believe the behaviour of the clerk, council and projects officer in awarding this contract is: Acceptable, or immoral, or unethical, or corrupt, gross misconduct?

Either add your views direct to our Readers' Letter page here or email the editor [email protected]