Councillor 'appalled and hurt' over cancer remarks

A Labour councillor who is being treated for cancer has said she felt "appalled, hurt and upset" after a Reform councillor told a full council meeting she was unable to represent her constituents effectively.

Carol Hyatt has non-Hodgkin lymphoma and due to her illness City of Wolverhampton Council has given her a dispensation to carry out her duties from home.

At the meeting on Wednesday, councillor Anita Stanley said she did not feel Hyatt's arrangement was "very fair on the residents".

"I'm immunocompromised, I can do everything, but I can't go out because then I'll get sepsis and could die, but I've done my very best still represent my ward," Hyatt told the BBC.

During a full council discussion about a proposed extension of Hyatt's dispensation to work from home, Stanley stood up and said: "I do not feel it is very fair on the residents not to have a political representative being able to speak up for them for the period of effectively one whole year.

"It's not fair on taxpayers."

Hyatt said: "The situation is not a party political thing so why would you treat any human being like that when they're fighting cancer and going through treatment?

"I'm really hurt because she hadn't bothered to find out the truth and tell it."

In a statement, Stanley said she wanted to express sincere sympathy for her colleague and her ongoing health challenges, but added that the suggestion she had shown a lack of compassion was "categorically false and politically motivated".

Stanley referred to a paper being presented at the meeting by Wolverhampton's Labour Party, to approve dispensation for Hyatt to not attend council meetings until 24 December 2025 as a consequence of ill health.

The Reform councillor said the paper was presented with no supporting statement from Hyatt.

"The proposal invariably appeared to me to be influenced not by her personal welfare but by The Wolverhampton Labour's reluctance to trigger a by-election — which polling suggests they WILL lose to my party - The Reform UK," she said.

"I have not, at any time, sought to exploit my colleague's situation. Rather, I have spoken in good faith about what appears to be a political calculation that comes at the expense of a very human and deeply personal struggle.

"This is not the time for misinformation or political games."

At the meeting, the leader of the authority, Labour councillor Stephen Simkins, branded the comments by Stanley a "disgrace".

"I hope it never happens to you or any of your family," he said.

"Casting aspersions on people who are suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Shame on you."

Labour councillor Philip Bateman added during the meeting: "Sadly, I've got cancer. If you've got cancer, you will miss meetings. But it doesn't mean you're not doing your job that the electors put you there to do.

"You may not want her there because she's effective, but her own electorate does. And come the elections when she has to stand, the electorate will make their decision."

Hyatt attends council meetings virtually due to being immunocompromised.

"I can't turn up in person, I would risk getting neutrophilic septicaemia

"Although I'm expecting to be in full remission there's a possibility I might still have cancer again.

"The extension is usually just automatically agreed on by all the councillors because Wolverhampton is a supportive council," Hyatt said.

All but two councillors voted in favour of granting Hyatt the dispensation order.

Stanley and independent councillor Celia Hibbert abstained.

Reform UK has been contacted for comment.

Additional reporting by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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