By George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporting Service
VOTERS in Longdendale will go to the polls following the resignation of a Tameside councillor.
As The Correspondent revealed, Jacqueline North stepped down from the Labour party and as the area’s representative at the authority.
Now after sufficient interest, a vote to find her replacement will take place on Thursday, April 10.
The decision by the former deputy leader and finance boss came following a tumultuous month in politics for the local Labour group.
Ms North said radical changes are needed within Labour locally after issuing her resignation letter.
Earlier in February she had been critical of her former party following the ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ WhatsApp group scandal.
The scandal saw Gorton and Denton MP Andrew Gwynne sacked as a government minister, and 12 Tameside and Stockport councillors suspended from the Labour party. Offensive messages from the group made up of local politicians were leaked and sparked public outrage.
Ms North had urged Labour members to push for a change in its culture. However, believing change would not come anytime soon, she resigned.
The resignation letter, addressed to her constituents, read: “In recent months I have found myself fundamentally at odds with my political party on a number of fronts and I can see no prospect of that changing in the next two years.
“As a consequence, I do not believe I will be able to continue exercising the influence you deserve on Tameside Council, nor with the local MPs. I have therefore resigned from both the Labour Party and Tameside Council.
“It is likely that a by-election will be called in the coming weeks at which you can give voice to your views on the current local situation.
“If you are inconvenienced as a result of this I do sincerely apologise. It was a difficult decision but there is no good time to resign.”