Council response follows call for investigation
Dudley Council has clarified the limits of its powers after a councillor faced allegations over social media posts described by a local MP as antisemitic, racist and homophobic. Caley Ashman, a Reform UK councillor representing Cradley North and Wollescote, has been the subject of a letter sent by Halesowen MP Alex Ballinger to Reform leader Nigel Farage. Mr Ballinger has called for an investigation into the posts and urged the party to take action.
The council’s response centres on when the alleged conduct took place. Aftab Razzaq, Dudley Council’s monitoring officer, said the authority can act only in relation to behaviour carried out while a person is serving as a councillor. The council said Mr Ashman was not a councillor when the comments in question were made, meaning they do not fall within the standards regime applied to elected members after taking office.
“The council can only take action in respect of conduct undertaken whilst being a councillor.”
Mr Razzaq said councillors were made aware of their responsibilities relating to standards, conduct and behaviour, including activity on social media. He also referred to a proposed Members’ Pledge, which is intended to be signed by all councillors and to sit alongside existing governance arrangements, including the members’ code of conduct.
What is being alleged
The posts cited in the dispute include the use of an antisemitic term and a statement arguing that foreigners should not be responsible for caring for young or older people. The source material does not set out the full context in which the posts appeared, and Mr Ashman has not yet responded to the allegations. Their publication has nevertheless prompted renewed political scrutiny, including calls for Reform UK to state its position.
Mr Ballinger said the party should respond in line with its public assertion that there is no place for racism within Reform UK. In a quoted section of his letter, he called on Mr Farage to condemn what he described as “vile racist and homophobic rhetoric” and to take immediate action against the councillor. The MP’s intervention places the matter both within Dudley’s local political debate and inside a wider question about how parties deal with comments made online by people who subsequently hold public office.
Correspondence renewed after documentary
The latest letter follows earlier correspondence. In May, Mr Ballinger and fellow Dudley Labour MPs Cat Eccles and Sonia Kumar wrote to Mr Farage to raise concerns about Mr Ashman’s comments. According to the source material, they did not receive a response from Reform UK. The MPs sent another letter last week after an ITV documentary brought the issue back into focus.
| Point | Position reported |
|---|---|
| Councillor | Caley Ashman, Reform UK |
| Ward | Cradley North and Wollescote |
| Council position | Its standards powers apply to conduct while serving as a councillor |
| Party response | Mr Ashman has been approached but has not responded |
For residents, the council’s statement draws a distinction between political accountability and the authority’s formal standards process. The council says its code and related commitments apply to councillors in office, while conduct before that point cannot be dealt with under the same regime. Any decision by Reform UK about the allegations would therefore sit separately from the council’s stated legal and procedural position.
The controversy remains unresolved. Mr Ballinger is seeking a response from the party leadership, while the council has explained why it cannot take action under its members’ standards arrangements. Mr Ashman has been contacted regarding the allegations but, at the time of publication, had not provided a response.
