Councillor Chris Whitehouse has today (Monday) announced his resignation as Conservatice Group Secretary and has confirmed he will be absent from all future Group meetings and will be resigning from all committees and panels upon which he serves.
The Newport West representative has said his ‘difficult, and painful decision’ follows a further serious deterioration in his mental health brought about by recent developments in family relationships, upon which he says it would be inappropriate to comment further.
In a statement issued to Conservative Group colleagues and the press, Chris has said:
“I also serve notice that I shall not be seeking re-election in May 2017, as I had previously hoped to do, so you will now need to find a candidate to contest my beloved ward of Newport West. It is, frankly, the best ward on the Island and deserves a high caliber representative, particularly given the 5 schools based in and around the ward.
“I appreciate that this is an absolute end to any political aspirations I may still have harbored, indeed to my lifetime ambitions, so I extend to others my best wishes as we address as an Island the fact that we will have two Members of Parliament moving forwards. I simply have had my confidence so destroyed that I would not be able to contest either of those seats. Thank you, and sorry for the disappointment to those of you who have encouraged me to go for Westminster!”
Mr Whitehouse continued:
“You will still have some, albeit limited, input from me as you approach your own elections in May 2017, but I can no longer play a leadership role. I should put on record, however, my own deep respect for the way the Group has functioned in the difficult situation of opposition and under the very professional and inclusive leadership Dave has offered. You can, and should be, proud of yourselves for your performance in adversity.
“Thank you for your solidarity and support, and with very best wishes.”
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