Alexander Curtis (British politician)

In late March 2018, Curtis attracted controversy when he unilaterally announced via the official Ware Town Council Twitter account that a public meeting had been cancelled, on the day of that meeting.[9] This drew criticism from fellow councillors, particularly as he later announced on his personal account that he had travelled to Glasgow.[10] Curtis went on to claim that his decision to cancel the meeting was unrelated to his travels, instead citing delays in internal reporting as the cause for the cancellation. Fellow councillors called this "ridiculous", stating that meetings should only be cancelled in the case of a "major crisis".[11]

Members of the public who wished to attend the meeting also expressed their disappointment, as the cancellation prevented public input on the council's response to a local redevelopment consultation.[11] Seven members of the Council attempted to hold a public meeting regardless, but were forced to eject the press and public when it became apparent that no member of council staff was coming to take minutes. They were nonetheless able to conduct a private council meeting.[12]

On 9 April 2018, a selection of members of the Conservative group at Ware Town Council, who constitute the entirety of that council, met privately to withdraw the Conservative whip from Curtis, asserting that he now sits as an independent. However, this was confirmed not to be the case by the local Conservative Association, of which he was the Chair.[3][12]

Curtis alleges that this action was taken maliciously by fellow councillors in retaliation for his support of ongoing investigations against them. Several councillors who took part in the meeting have had Code of Conduct complaints made against them by council staff, including Cllr Jeannette Taylor, Cllr Rosalie Standley, and her husband, Deputy Mayor Cllr Michael Standley.[11] These 3 councillors were suspended from the Conservative whip and sat for the remainder of their terms as independents; they did not stand again in the District and Town Council elections in 2019. The conflict was seized upon by members of the local opposition parties, the Liberal Democrats and Labour, who argued that the conflict had resulted in unnecessary expenditures of tax money.[11][12]

In May 2020, Curtis was elected for a second one-year term as Mayor of Ware.[13]