Bolsover District Council leader says he ‘regrets’ his language after it was perceived to be homophobic

The Labour councillor, who oversees the Langwith ward, has already been ‘administratively suspended’ by the Labour Party over the issue and he became the subject of a council investigation in relation to a complaint he made a ‘homophobic slur’ about former Conservative Bolsover MP Mark Fletcher.

Coun Fritchley revealed at a council meeting on Wednesday, December 4, the findings of a further independent investigation into the allegation which found he was not homophobic but the language he used could be perceived as such and that he had therefore breached principles and a code of conduct.

He told the meeting: “I have considered this report and am pleased that the findings were that I was not homophobic as it was genuinely not my intention to be so. However, I do accept the findings that this language could be perceived by someone unaware of the context to be homophobic.

“It was unwise of me to use this language at the meeting without explaining the context and I accept that this amounted to a breach of the Nolan Principles and our Code of Conduct.

“I am truly regretful for this and for the upset that the resultant furore has caused in the media, especially social media.”

The investigation revealed the former Levelling Up Under Secretary Jacob Young had made reference to Peter, Paul and Mary’s song Puff the Magic Dragon during a video link meeting with the council over £15m of regeneration funding when the former Bolsover MP Mark Fletcher had been smoking a vape.

Coun Fritchley explained the meeting details had been relayed to him and in a further meeting while discussing the allocation of the regeneration funding he repeated the reference which was overheard by a resident who told Mr Fletcher.

Mr Fletcher, who was Bolsover’s MP between 2019 and 2024, complained to the General Secretary of the Labour Party and to the council’s monitoring officer Jim Fieldsend that Coun Fritchley had allegedly breached the council’s Code of Conduct.

The former MP also claimed that Coun Fritchley, who Mr Fletcher says is the Secretary of the Bolsover Labour Party, had allegedly breached Labour’s Leadership Code of Conduct and Labour’s Members’ Pledge.

Coun Fritchley, aged 73, said: “The investigator concludes that whilst I did use the complained of language or similar iteration, of which I never denied, that this language was used in the context of reciting details relating to the vaping incident and the fantasy song referred to earlier and that I did not intend such language to be homophobic.”

Derbyshire police also interviewed Coun Fritchley after the incident came to light but they took no further action.

Coun Fritchley, who suffers with a lung condition, told the December 4 council meeting that over the Christmas season he intends to ‘give some thought to the future’ and he intends to express ‘his intentions’ in January, 2025.

Following the meeting, he said: “The report confirmed that I always maintained I am not homophobic and anyone who knows me can verify that.”

Coun Fritchley added that since the incident surfaced in June it has been a difficult time for him and the council and he has been subjected to abusive social media comments that he says are ‘unfounded and unqualified’.

Nearly 400 people have also signed a change.org petition, started by Bolsover resident Dom Webb, to remove Coun Fritchley as leader of Bolsover District Council after his administrative suspension from the Labour Party.

But Coun Fritchley, who is a great-grandfather, said: “I have had more support than you can imagine because they know me. They might think I am a pain in the a**e or arrogant but they know I am not homophobic.”

He added that he accepts the investigation findings that he has breached the general Nolan Principle to lead by example and act in a way that secures public confidence in the role of a councillor, and that he has breached the council’s code of conduct which require members to not bring the role of the council into disrepute.

The investigating officer’s report and findings will be presented to the next meeting of the council’s Standards Committee.

Coun Fritchley also thanked colleagues for their support during ‘this difficult time’.

He said: “Bolsover District Council has suffered as much as I have in the past six months and it is not right.”

The council leader has been a councillor since 1984 and has been the council’s leader since 2019.