Reform UK councillor departs North unitary
Robert Bloom's name has been wiped from the council's website and a vacancy has appeared
By Sarah Ward
A Reform UK councillor on North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) has departed.
Cllr Robert Bloom, who was elected as a councillor for the Lloyds and Corby village ward in May, is understood to have resigned from the authority, which will now lead to a by-election.
Bloom has been the subject of a standards complaint after a member of the public made a code of conduct objection about offensive language.
NN Journal called Robert Bloom about the matter on Friday and he said he did not wish to comment. The authority has also not responded as yet to our enquiry about the complaint.
Bloom is the first Reform UK councillor to stand down from the North unitary. In the West, Cllr Adam Smith was suspended weeks after election and now sits as an independent.
His departure means the Reform UK party, which took charge of the council after the Mat elections, is still by far the largest political group, with 39 councillors, followed by the Tories at 14, the Greens at eight and Labour have just four councillors. There is one Lib Dem and one independent.
This afternoon his details have been removed from the council’s website and it is understood a statement will be put out by NNC this afternoon. We will update this article when that happens.
NNC’s Reform UK leader Martin Griffiths said*:
“I fully respect councillor Robert Bloom’s decision to resign from the council, which he has done for personal reasons.
"The role of an elected member can be very rewarding but it can also be challenging at times, particularly when balancing the demands of the role with personal commitments.
Councillors play a vital role in the local community and residents deserve their full attention.
It is important that the residents of Lloyds and Corby Village have the opportunity to elect a new representative to champion their cause and make sound decisions in the interest of all residents of North Northamptonshire.”
*this comment was added after publication.
Robert Bloom lasted 117 days in office. Neighbours recorded hours-long racist rants. He told them Africans “sold yourselves into slavery,” that Britain “civilised you,” and repeated the N-word after they played Bob Marley. This wasn’t politics. It was violent racial intimidation.
Reform are in turmoil at NNC, with even the chair of the council publicly criticising the Authority and other councillors on kingswood telling residents of corruption within the authority too