Council chairman resigns over social media posts

A council chairman has resigned after admitting to posting offensive social media posts before he was elected.

Maurice Eglin, of Reform UK, was appointed to the role at North Northamptonshire Council having served as deputy chairman last year.

The NN Journal reported that the posts were discriminatory against Muslims and included a repost from far-right Britain First leader Paul Golding. The BBC has been unable to verify the contents of the posts.

"The language used in some of those posts was wrong and does not reflect the person I strive to be today," said Eglin, in a statement.

"I would like to offer my sincere and unreserved apologies to anyone who has been hurt by those posts. If I could take them back, I would.

"Serving as chairman has been a tremendous honour and I remain committed to serving the residents of north Northamptonshire as a councillor."

The role of the chairman is a largely ceremonial one, which includes chairing full council meetings and representing the area at civic functions and events.

Eglin represents the Barton Seagrave and Burton Latimer ward and has said he will remain as a councillor.

Andy Sims was elected as deputy chairman and is expected to step up to the more senior role, but that will need to be approved by full council.

Eglin's posts were published before he was first elected in May 2025.

Council leader Martin Griffiths said: "While these comments pre-date his time as a councillor, the language used does not reflect the standards expected of those holding senior civic positions.

"Following discussions with councillor Eglin, it was agreed that stepping aside from the chairmanship was the right course of action to protect the integrity of the role and maintain public confidence in the council and office of chairman."

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