'I'd have broken rules by addressing £10k charity row,' says under-fire Tory |
Taila Taylor, who is standing to become a Conservative county councillor next month, has been under mounting pressure to say what has happened to the money, which she received as part of a £20,000 payout from Attleborough Town Council, where she is a member.
The 2021 settlement included a clause that half should go to charity.
However, Ms Taylor, who also sits on Breckland Council, has declined to say whether she has made the donation, instead accusing the authority of not meeting its own obligations under the arrangement, meaning she is not required to make the donation.
Daniel Burcham will stand as the Reform candidate for the Attleborough ward in the county council elections (Image: Daniel Burcham)
Political opponents, led by Daniel Burcham - her Reform rival at next month's elections - have been calling on her to clarify what steps she has taken since 2021 to ensure the council met its side of the bargain, thereby allowing her to make the payment.
She has now responded, arguing it would have been a conflict of interest for her to have taken any action to encourage the council to fulfil its side of the bargain.
In a statement, her agent, Dr Christopher Kemp, a former South Norfolk Conservative councillor, said: "It would have been a breach of the town council's code of conduct and of the common law for Ms Taylor to have taken any such steps because of the obvious conflict of interest between her position as a successful claimant and the town council as the unsuccessful defendant."
Ms Taylor with Stephen Fraser (middle) and her mother Samantha Taylor (right) who also both sit on Attleborough and Breckland councils (Image: Facebook)
He added: "Ms Taylor recognised that conflict, declared the same at the first opportunity and accordingly removed herself from any involvement in the matter."
When asked whether Ms Taylor, who is deputy mayor of Attleborough, felt as though she had a responsibility to ensure the council completed their obligations, to enable her to make the donation, he said: "Again, the obvious conflict of interest would rule Ms Taylor out of any such responsibility."
He added: "Ms Taylor has always maintained that she kept her side of the bargain with the town council which settled the litigation between them."
The statement has done little to calm the row, with Mr Burcham accusing her of attempting to use "a legal loophole" to answering questions over the money.
He said: "At first, she claimed she could not comment for supposed........