The Burton Mail is claiming another victory after a second councillor decided to quit her East Staffordshire borough council role following calls by the paper to do so.

Councillor Penny Perry has decided not to stand in the May elections – and follows councillor Dennis Heptonstall’s decision to quit his borough role.

The Mail called for the pair to resign after almost 4,000 readers said they should quit in a poll run by the paper.

The poll was set up after the officials abandoned their civic duties for 10 weeks in 2001 to take a camper van tour of Europe without their respective families. At that time he was council leader and she was his deputy.

Their decisions have been welcomed by the Mail, but the paper is continuing its calls for Councillor Heptonstall to “do the honourable thing” and leave local politics altogether.

The 67-year-old is also a member of Staffordshire County Council and could remain so for another two-and-half years as elections there are not due until 2005.

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