Councillor Rosemary Carroll has been suspended (Picture: Pendle Council)

A former mayor has been suspended by the Tories after allegedly posting a racist ‘joke’ on Facebook comparing Asian people to dogs.

Rosemary Carroll, a Conservative councillor, shared a post about a man asking for benefits for his pet, using racial comparisons.

She was Mayor of Pendle until last month but was suspended from her party after the post appeared on her account this week.

The local Conservative branch posted a statement about the ‘inappropriate post’ on Facebook after the allegations came to light.


The post shared on her account (Picture: Guzelian)

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They said she had been suspended: ‘This is the result of an inappropriate social media post shared by Cllr Carroll on her own Facebook page.



‘We will be making no further comment until the investigation has concluded.’

Cllr Carroll, who represents Earby on Pendle Borough Council in Lancashire, is now listed as an independent and her Facebook account seems to have disappeared following the allegations.

The local Conservative statement (Picture: Facebook)

Labour Councillor Wayne Blackburn, representing Clover Hill Ward, posted on Facebook saying he had always found her to be ‘a welcoming and engaging person and colleague’.

But he said: ‘Having said that, I am deeply saddened by the post she put on Facebook.

‘We live in a diverse part of the country, inhabited by people from all faiths and walks of life. I therefore cannot even begin to understand why Cllr Carroll would post such an offensive item on her page.

‘I’m pleased to see that the Conservatives have acted quickly and suspended her pending an investigation.

‘As Councillors, we have a duty to ensure that our posts are not offensive under the Council’s Code of Conduct, and I intend to put a motion before the next full Council to reiterate our responsibilities. I hope I will have unanimous support across the Council.’

Cllr Carroll has been approached for comment.

She told the BBC that she planned to post an apology.