Reform councillor resigns from party

A Reform UK councillor has resigned from the party amid a probe into leaked information, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar.

Ian Catchpole, who represents Sedgefield on Durham County Council, accused council leaders of treating mental health with “blatant disregard” as he quit the party despite his political views remained “very closely” aligned with Reform.

But a Reform spokesperson said his resignation “came in the middle of an internal review into the unauthorised disclosure of private group material to individuals outside the party”, with the whip removed from him pending the outcome.

In an email to the council, shared in a post on Facebook, he said he was resigning the Reform whip with immediate effect.

It comes as the party said they were investigating the unauthorised disclosure of private group material.

Cllr Catchpole said: “This decision comes down to a hard red line regarding mental health and the leadership’s stance towards it.

“This was exacerbated recently by the attitudes of certain cabinet members, who displayed a complete lack of empathy as well as a blatant disregard for my wellbeing.”

Cllr Catchpole criticised comments allegedly made by Reform councillors about mental health in a WhatsApp group. He described them as “utterly appalling” and said it was “wholly unbecoming of elected officials to discuss such sensitive matters in that manner”.

“I cannot and will not continue to be part of a political group culture that operates in this manner or treats colleagues with such disregard,” he added.

In his statement, Cllr Catchpole said mental health was particularly important to him because he is a veteran and had experienced personal loss through mental health issues.

He added: “My moral compass and ethics do not allow me to sit by and see, hear the subject of Mental Health being belittled.

“We have red lines for a reason and this is mine.”

A Reform spokesman said: “We note Cllr Catchpole’s resignation and his statement.

“His departure came in the middle of an internal review into the unauthorised disclosure of private group material to individuals outside the party, a matter we referred for investigation this week, and the whip was removed from the councillor pending its outcome. His subsequent moral crusade in the name of mental health awareness should be read in that light.

“On mental health specifically: it should never be the subject of ridicule, by anyone, in any forum, and wouldn’t be by us. But the seriousness of that issue cannot be disingenuously deployed to excuse or distract from separate and serious questions about conduct.

“We hope Sedgefield is able to elect a champion for the area, not a man acting in his own interest, at the earliest opportunity.”

Cllr Catchpole, who was elected in May 2025, said his priority would remain representing people in Sedgefield as an Independent councillor. He added: “My commitment remains entirely with the residents of Sedgefield and the ward to whom I was elected to serve.”

Reform is now represented by 55 councillors after initially winning 65 seats at the local election in May 2025.

The council is also made up of 19 Independents, 15 Liberal Democrats, five Labour, two Greens, one Conservative, and one Advance UK.