'Disgusted' by councillors' urn comments
A flooding victim said he was disgusted by the behaviour of two local councillors during a time of family crisis.
Mr Bruce Laughton, a county and district councillor, and Mr Maurice Jordan, chairman of Sutton-on-Trent Parish Council, visited residents to offer help and support after flash flooding in the village.
However, Charlotte and Mike Gardner, of Old Great North Road, Sutton-on-Trent, whose bungalow filled with water, asked them to leave when they overheard their comments.
The Gardners were among those worst affected by heavy rainfall on June 2.
When the flash flood struck, the couple were away from home and travelling back.
After being alerted by a neighbour, they gave them permission to break a window to rescue an urn containing Charlotte’s father’s ashes that was on the floor.
The next day the Gardners were visited by Mr Laughton, a Nottinghamshire county and Newark and Sherwood district councillor, and Mr Jordan.
“I was speaking to someone from the district council about the damage and what was going to happen next when my attention was taken away by the sound of laughing from the kitchen,” Mr Gardner said.
“They were joking together and pointing at the urn, which had been placed on our kitchen island.”
Mr Gardner said he was left feeling completely disbelieving of their behaviour at the most inappropriate moment.
“Charlotte suffered tremendously when her father died last year. It was a terrible time for all the family,” he said.
“He was a great friend to me and meant to the world to Charlotte.
“They played music together and toured at festivals all over the country.
“Saving the urn was our number one priority.”
Charlotte’s father, Mr Adrian Button, died of cancer in Dec-ember, 2016, and was cared for by his family during his illness.
“We were disgusted by their behaviour — these are the people who are meant to be representing you and that’s their reaction,” Mr Gardner said.
“They were supposed to be there to support us and offering hope, and instead they were making jokes when there was nothing funny about the situation at all.
“Even my eight-year-old daughter wouldn’t have behaved like that, and these are grown men elected to serve the community.
“It is not the way I would expect any official to act.”
After being asked to leave, Mr Laughton immediately wrote an apology, which both he and Mr Jordan signed.
The letter read: “On behalf of myself and Maurice Jordan we both apologise profusely for our behaviour today.
“It was extremely insensitive and can only be described as inappropriate at what we can only imagine is a catastrophic event for you and your family.
“There are no excuses but you can be assured we will double our efforts to be able to put in place protection for your property.
“If there is anything more you want from us please contact the phone number I have supplied to you and we will endeavour to help.
“Please accept this apology in the spirit that it is meant and I hope it goes only some way from (sic) trying to put right the wrongs we have inflicted on you.”
The family are in the process of moving out of their home for the foreseeable future, and will be staying in a caravan while repairs take place.
“We have managed to salvage bits and bobs but the amount of water that got into our home is just unbelievable,” Mr Gardner said.
“We have lost things as well — eight years’ worth of birthday presents for my daughter have gone just like that.
“I have my business next door and our daughter is at the local primary school so it makes sense for us not to be too far away, so we will be staying in the caravan.”
When contacted by the Advertiser, both Mr Laughton and Mr Jordan offered no comment other than to say they had apologised.
