A MAYOR says she is prepared to give up her chains of office rather than cut her links to a counselling charity after a council ruled a conflict of interest.

Shildon Town Mayor, Cllr Luan Deakin, has been told to cease her involvement with The Sanctuary if she wants to keep it as a beneficiary of mayoral fundraising or withdraw its nomination.

It comes following a complaint to Durham County Council (DCC) against the trained counsellor and Shildon-based charity founder by Louise Littlewood.

But despite a ruling by the authority Cllr Deakin said she was “not happy with either option” and has pledged to fight the matter "all the way".

She told The Northern Echo: “I was gobsmacked when it (the complaint letter)came through.

“I’m doing a good job here. We work with Durham Police and deal with victims and perpetrators.

"If it comes to choosing between saving lives here four days a week and wearing chains then I would choose this.”

Cllr Deakin was elected as Shildon Town Mayor in May and nominated The Sanctuary as one of three causes to benefit from mayoral fundraising.

Last month Ms Littlewood submitted a complaint which alleged a conflict of interest due to the mayor’s heavy involvement in The Sanctuary and stated she was a trustee until being elected.

She added: “She has recently stepped down from this position obviously to avoid any allegations of a conflict of interest, however her husband or partner is still a trustee and Cllr Deakin clearly runs this organisation and is there every day.”

In a decision letter, DCC’s governance solicitor Laura Renaudon, stated at the time the complaint was made, Cllr Deakin was registered as the operations manager in a section which refers to employment for profit or gain.

Following notification of the complaint, Cllr Deakin updated her registered position to a volunteer “in general control or management”.

In her response to the council, Cllr Deakin said the charity had never featured in council business and she denied having ever been a trustee.

She accepted her partner was an unpaid trustee and stated she sought advice from Shildon’s town clerk and from DCC before making her nomination.

However, Ms Renaudon said advice from the authority to step down from the charity was not taken.

In the letter Ms Renaudon stated there were “potential areas of ambiguity” and accepted the Mayor has a “significant involvement with the charity and that the interest is registered correctly”.

A local resolution requiring Cllr Deakin to withdraw The Sanctuary’s nomination or cease her involvement with it during her term in office was recommended.

She stated: “Cllr Deakin’s decision to confer an advantage on a charity in which her interest is sufficient to require registration is clearly a conflict of interest.

"Accordingly it is recommended that steps should now be taken by Cllr Deakin to divest herself of that conflict.”

Cllr Deakin, who founded The Sanctuary in October, said her association with it was well known.

She said she had written to DCC to state she is “not happy with either option”.

If a local resolution cannot be agreed, DCC's monitoring officer will decide whether an investigation or a referral to the Standards Committee is appropriate.