An Independent councillor has resigned from the Independent group on Maldon District Council.

Councillor Chrisy Morris, who represents Heybridge West ward, left the group today (Tuesday, 23 February), on the day of the authority's council tax setting meeting (due this evening) and where a number of other key local issues, including possible changes to the High Street and revisiting the Local Development Plan (LDP) will be discussed.

It is not known why Cllr Morris - who remains a non-affiliated Independent councillor - has withdrawn from the group, which formed a new administration in November last year.

In a separate matter, a meeting of the Joint Standards Committee yesterday afternoon (Monday, 22 February) went into private session to debate the "next steps" in two separate complaints against councillors.

The agenda also makes clear that the debate would involve reports on the complaints from the council's Monitoring Officer, Simon Quelch. No details of any of the findings in these reports were published in the public agenda pack.

Although the councillors are not named in the agenda, in the public part of the meeting Conservative Councillor Bob Boyce spoke of the 'Cllr Morris item" to be heard in private session. Declaring that he would not speak or vote on the item, Cllr Boyce gave the reason as having "a complaint against Cllr Morris" himself.

Cllr Boyce also said that he would speak but not vote on an issue concerning Conservative Councillor Karl Jarvis, giving the reason that Cllr Jarvis had previously "given evidence against" him.

Cllr Morris has been approached for comment on his decision to leave the Independent group.

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