Court case councillor Mark Mountford becomes mayor of Shifnal

Another councillor threatened to quit in protest after Mark Mountford was made mayor of Shifnal Town Council last night.

And Councillor Mountford's first job in the hot seat was to calm angry residents who were forced to wait outside in the cold for more than an hour while councillors debated a confidential issue.

Councillor Suzanne Broderick was appointed deputy mayor at the annual meeting, during which Councillor Jane Blackstock threatened to resign over Councillor Mountford's appointment so soon after his court case.

Councillor Mountford, 46, who was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work on Tuesday after pleading guilty to 13 charges connected with a poster business he ran from home between February and May last year, has now called for 'stability' in the council.

In a statement he said: "I am delighted fellow councillors have the confidence in me to lead them for the coming year and will do my utmost to exceed expectations. I hope that there will now follow a period of stability and cohesiveness within the council in order that the residents of Shifnal will be satisfied with the work councillors will be carrying out on their behalf.

"I hope residents will feel able to talk to me, fellow councillors or office staff about any thoughts or concerns they may have about Shifnal and how the town can move forward positively."

He added: "I am very sorry that Councillor Blackstock felt the need to resign. I would like to apologise to the residents who were left out in the cold. They have my assurance they will not be put in that position again." Councillor Mountford took over the chair from former mayor Eileen Briscoe.

Former mayor Tom Jones slated the council's "disgraceful" organisation after being forced to wait outside for more than an hour, along with about 12 other members of the public and Shropshire councillor Stuart West.

Mr Jones, 85, said: "I think it was a disgusting state of affairs and, in all the years I've been involved in councils, I have never seen this happen before. I can't blame the new mayor who took over because it wasn't his fault."