'I will not share meeting with him'

Councillor Mike Buckley

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AN UPSET parish councillor today gave his reasons why he walked out at the start of a Saddleworth full council meeting.

Councillor Steve Hewitt, a father of three, left the Saddleworth council chamber when shamed councillor Mike Buckley turned up.

Councillor Buckley was found guilty of downloading indecent images of naked boys on his computer last December.

Disrepute

Councillor Hewitt, Labour councillor for Springhead Lower, who also serves on Oldham Council, said: "My feelings have not changed about sharing a committee table with a sex offender.

"I feel Buckley should have resigned from his position on the council when he was found guilty.

"He has brought the Saddleworth Parish Council into disrepute by still insisting that he takes a role in the decision making process of the council and seeking support from old allies who believe his acts were insignificant.

"As a father and a grandfather I am mortified that someone who was caught through an international police partnership buying pictures of young naked boys is still attending council meetings.

"I have said before I will not share a meeting with him and will leave if he attends and I feel that those who support him need to take a course on sexual exploitation to fully understand the implications on what Mike Buckley was involved in."

He added: "The parish chair has asked on a previous occasion for Mike Buckley's comments to be heard in planning but as I was chair I refused - and I refuse to hear his comments in the conservation meetings as chair.

"I feel that if I share a meeting with Mike Buckley I will be accepting what he has done and that I condone his actions.

"That is not the case as the safeguarding of all children is important to me."

Councillor Hewitt said locals had approached offering support over his stance.

"I find the whole situation very uncomfortable," he declared.

Earlier this year a delegation of people fighting to remove Councillor Buckley from Saddleworth Parish Council took their fight to the government and campaigned for a change in the law to prevent any councillor found guilty of child sex offences remaining in their council position.