28/05/2026
Councillor Sarah Gallagher has resigned from Bedford Borough Council’s executive cabinet, saying she could no longer continue in a cabinet where she believed “unethical and corrupt behaviour” was being tolerated.
This is the third resignation from the cabinet in a week, following those from councillor Robert Rigby and councillor Phillippa Martin-Moran-Bryant.
In a resignation letter addressed to mayor Tom Wootton, and seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), councillor Gallagher (Shortstown) said she was stepping down from her role as portfolio holder for customer experience, including leisure and culture, with immediate effect.
She wrote: “I can no longer continue being on the Executive Cabinet, where I believe unethical and corrupt behaviour is being tolerated.”
The resignation letter criticised the operation of informal cabinet meetings, claiming decisions were sometimes made and later changed “without the knowledge of all cabinet members”.
Councillor Gallagher wrote that “the purchase of Debenhams” was, to her knowledge, “never agreed at a cabinet meeting” and that cabinet members were “only informed afterwards”.
She also said she was not informed in advance about the relocation of the box office and tourist information service.
“The same occurred with the relocation of the box office and tourist information; I was not informed until after the decision had already been implemented,” she wrote.
The letter also referred to proposals involving the lower part of the former Beales building and the relocation of the library.
“Only after I raised this with you did I, and the cabinet, become aware of the company involved and the intention,” councillor Gallagher wrote.
Councillor Gallagher also criticised the mayor’s leadership style, writing that after three years in office he remained “unsure which officers to contact when residents email you with complaints”.
She added: “Attending meetings with directors, where both you and cabinet members are present, and seeing you on your phone messaging others, is not only disrespectful – it is rude.”
Despite the criticism,councillor Gallagher said it had been “a real honour to work for the people of Bedford borough”.
She highlighted the appointment of leisure operator GLL and improvements at leisure centres as achievements during her time in office.
Mayor Tom Wootton has been approached for comment.
✍Original copy by John Guinn
