School Governor 'Told to Resign For Being a Member of UKIP'

The chairman of governors of a school has allegedly been ousted simply because he is a member of UKIP. Mike Ward, who has been a governor of Eskdale School in North Yorkshire for the past eight years, alleges that he was forced to resign after head teacher Sue Whelan told him UKIP’s policies were against the school’s ethos.

The Yorkshire Post reports that Ward, who is also a local councillor said that he was called in to a meeting with Whelan after his switch to UKIP was reported in local media.

“She then asked me to resign saying UKIP’s policies were against the ethos of the school,” he said.

“I was astonished as politics had never played a part in my time as a Governor but after some soul searching over the weekend and not wishing to cause the school any further issues I tendered my resignation which she accepted.”

North Yorkshire County Council has confirmed that it has received a complaint over the issue, and the school’s governing body will launch an investigation.

A spokesman told Breitbart London: “North Yorkshire County Council has received a complaint from a member of the public about the resignation of the chair of governors at Eskdale School in Whitby.  We understand that the governing body is taking this complaint very seriously and will undertake an independent investigation.”

UKIP deputy leader Paul Nuttall said: “This is an outrage, Mike has been a dedicated governor for years and it is totally unacceptable that membership of UKIP should be considered to be incompatible with being a governor.

“This is discrimination against a conscientious man who has worked tirelessly for the school and it is a disgrace that the head teacher has taken it upon herself to oust him. He purely has the interests of the school and local youngsters at heart.

“There must be a full independent inquiry into this debacle and Mike should be re-instated. He is a former teacher and university lecturer and I’m sure his fellow governors had no problems with his completely unrelated political membership.”

“Everyone is entitled to their own political views and I’m sure the other governors have theirs and possibly even belong to a political party but like Mike just concentrate on seeking the best for Eskdale School,” he added.