Former Mayor leaves Labour

BOROUGH councillor Barry Dodson has resigned from the Labour Party, just a fortnight after handing over his mayoral chains.

The Rawmarsh East representative resigned his position as Mayor of Rotherham on June 27 in a shock move four weeks after civic celebrations heralded the start of his year in office.

Now he has taken the decision to continue as a councillor in an independent capacity.

Despite calls for an explanation, Cllr Dodson refused to enlighten constituents regarding the reasons for his resignation from his mayoral post and the Labour Party this morning (Friday 11).

He said: “The decision was made for personal reasons and I’m not willing to go into it any further at this stage.”

Cllr John Foden stepped back into the role of Mayor of Rotherham — continuing for a second year — after a motion was passed by Rotherham Borough Council last week.