LYDNEY Town counciller Harry Ives resigned from the authority after receiving an email which he believed to be critical over his handling of this month’s Bathurst Park ‘Party In The Park’ event.

Cllr Harry Ives said the event attracted four thousand people and had one of the stars of hit TV comedy Only Fools and Horses, Mr John Challis, as its VIP on the day.

And while Cllr Ives, who was the ‘Event Lead’ for the council, said the day was a great success, he found himself shocked to receive an email from council chief executive

Mrs Jayne Smailes which he interpreted to criticise the way it was run.

As a result, Cllr Ives, who also represents Lydney North on the Forest of Dean District Council, resigned from the town authority before a controversial and acrimonious extraordinary meeting on July 15.

Cllr Ives said everything went well at the event other than a walkie-talkie which went missing and which he paid £183 to replace out of his own pocket and a flower presentation which Mrs Smailes said ‘embarrassed’ the recipient Rose Christodoulides.

He said: “We had four thousand people there and lots of positive feedback.

“But I received, from our clerk (Mrs Smailes) very soon afterwards, an email which she was being really critical of me.

“For an event of that size, it takes a long time to put together. It is all done on a voluntary basis on top of a full-time job and my town and district council work.”

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK’S FORESTER