THE LEADER of Hampshire's richest parish council has quit dramatically claiming he had been subjected to a "catalogue of accusations".

Roger Randall stepped down as chairman of Fawley Parish Council and gave up his Blackfield seat in one fell swoop.

Mr Randall appeared in the village's Jubilee Hall and asked town clerk Malcolm Anderson to read his letter of resignation aloud.

The hardware store owner, who lives in Hampton Lane, Blackfield, had been absent from his post for 15 weeks so he could care for his wife Sue Kemish, who is fighting cancer.

Part of the letter read: "It is with both regret and sadness that I have decided to resign from the parish council.

"As you are aware, my disabled wife has been in hospital for 15 weeks, suffering from cancer, and due to this I have not been able to attend parish meetings or events for some time.

"Since I became an independent councillor last year, I have been subjected to a catalogue of accusations and requests to resign as chairman.

"I have received two complaints from the Standards Board, one from Cllr Brooks, which resulted in no action being taken, one pending from Cllr Pearce-Smith, yet to be decided.

"To the vast majority of councillors who have supported me over the last year I give my personal and sincere thanks."

Speaking to the Daily Echo later, Mr Randall said the problems had started when he had left the Conservative group but remained chairman of the council as an independent candidate.

He said: "I didn't like the way the Conservative group was doing things. That's why I left, but I didn't leave the Conservative party - I'm still a card holder. I was a thorn in their side because I wouldn't go along with what they wanted to do."

But Mr Randall said he also could not devote the necessary time to his civic duties because he had to care for his wife. He said: "Sue's more important than the council."

Cllr Philip Pearce-Smith said Mr Randall could not expect to remain chairman, having been elected by the Conservative group he had resigned from last year.

He said: "One has a moral obligation to resign as chairman. It's been a terrible position having a chairman who has not been attending meetings."

Cllr Barry Brooks added: "Had he started out as an independent candidate he would never have been elected chairman."

Both refused to discuss the details of the complaints made to the standards board. But Cllr Brooks claimed the complaint attributed to him in Mr Randall's letter had actually been made by eight councillors.