A DIFFICULT meeting around devolution and plans to cancel elections in May descended into accusations of ‘criminal’ behaviour against Essex County Council’s only Reform UK councillor reports the Local Democracy Reporter.

Reform’s Jaymey McIvor said he was not in a position to comment after Labour county councillor Aidan McGurran accused him of having sent an unsolicited picture, which he described as a “criminal offence.”

Councillor McGurran claimed this was the reason Councillor McIvor had been ‘thrown out’ of the Conservative Party. Councillor McIvor had been originally elected to the chamber as a Tory in 2021 but has since moved to Reform.

The comments were made during Essex County Council’s meeting on the decision to ask the Government to cancel local elections scheduled for May to create the best environment for a major reform of local government and secure a devolution deal for Essex.

Lib Dem councillors and Councillor McIvor, who represents Ongar, had opposed cancelling the elections, arguing that it was undemocratic.

This sparked an outburst from Councillor McGurran, representing Pitsea, who said: “I will take no lectures from someone who’s sat here under false pretences.

“He [Councillor McIvor] was elected as a Conservative councillor, he’s now representing Reform, and he hasn’t had the decency to hold a by-election and has no intention to do so.

“And if you’re really interested in transparency and democracy, Jaymey, tell the people of Ongar why you were expelled from the Conservative Party and jumped ship.

“The reason is you sent an unsolicited picture of your private parts, which is a criminal offence.”

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor McIvor said: “I honestly didn’t hear him say that – there was a lot of shouting going on.

“What I will say is, he is referring to why I am no longer in the Conservative Party. All I would simply say is people should worry about their own residents and things going on in their own communities rather than what other councillors are and are not doing.”

He added that he had visited Councillor McGurran’s own division to ask people what they thought of the plans. He said: “Everyone I spoke to thought there should be elections. I think perhaps he is a bit angry that I did that.

“And I do not know why any sensible councillor would start saying things like that in the council chamber. But, I honestly didn’t hear him say that, so it would be very wrong of me to comment.”

When asked if he denied the claims, he added: “I don’t think this meeting is about me; it’s about democracy.”

Following the vote, Essex County Council, Thurrock Council, and Southend-on-Sea City Council wrote to the government to confirm that they want to proceed with devolution and the reorganisation of local councils in the area.

The letter to the Minister for Local Government confirms that the councils want to participate in the Government’s devolution priority programme.

Essex County Council and Thurrock Council will also request the postponement of elections scheduled for May this year in their areas.

Southend-on-Sea City Council does not have any planned elections for 2025 to postpone. Both the Tories and Labour agreed on the plan.