Senior Rochdale councillor accused of making 'offensive' comment to election candidate

A leading Labour councillor has been accused of leaving an 'offensive' Facebook comment beneath a picture of a Conservative election candidate.

Jordan Short, who has a dyed blonde fringe, posted a photo of himself donning his blue rosette to the popular social media site.

In a now deleted post, Councillor John Blundell – cabinet member for economy and communications at Rochdale Borough Council – responded by asking ‘did you get a pair of knickers with that haircut?’.

Mr Short, standing for the Conservative Party in a ward in Middleton, said he felt the remark was a ‘personal attack’.

“I don’t think that’s how things should be handled,” he said.

“I think it was definitely a bullying tactic to try and get a reaction out of me. I feel the comment was made to try to make me react and say something back to him, basically.”

 

 

The 29-year-old is heterosexual but said he was upset by the post.

He added: “I found it offensive the way it came across because it implied something in it, where it was either homophobic or transphobic, with regards to ‘should I have knickers on with that haircut’.”

Mr Short has reported the incident to the police and GMP has confirmed it has opened an investigation into communications ‘with intent to cause distress or anxiety’.

 

 

He and Rochdale Conservative group are now demanding a ‘full public apology’ from Councillor Blundell.

Councillor Blundell has been contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, but declined to comment.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Any complaints received are taken seriously and investigated in line with party rules.”

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter