A CREEKMOOR councillor who stood up for her residents has been sacked from the cabinet of Borough of Poole.

Cllr Judy Butt is opposing controversial proposals to site a temporary traveller transit site in her ward at Marshes End.

However until today the Conservative councillor was also cabinet portfolio holder for public engagement and participation.

Council leader, Cllr Elaine Atkinson, gave her two weeks in which to stand down and when she declined to do so, removed her from the seven-strong cabinet.

“It was a conflict with her portfolio responsibilities,” said Cllr Atkinson, who hand-delivered a letter with her decision to Cllr Butt, who has been a cabinet member since 2011.

She said Cllr Butt had played a major role in trying to sort out the traveller issue but when a possible site was identified in her ward, she “came out to defend her residents and to fight against the council’s position”.

Paying tribute to her she said: “She was a valued member of cabinet and I have personally valued her contributions as have the wider community.”

Cllr Butt said she was “gutted” at having been sacked and, “extremely disappointed”.

“I was asked to resign,” she said. “I thought the leader and I could come to a solution.”

However she said she accepted that the leader was entitled to do as she did.

“I just feel that it’s not the best decision. I will obviously as a loyal Conservative and a ward member for Creekmoor continue to support my residents and do everything I can to help the community object to this application,” she pledged.

Cllr Butt’s loyal husband David said: “I am fuming because she was sacked for supporting the residents.”

Cllr Atkinson has moved quickly to fill the gap, appointing Oakdale’s Cllr Ian Potter to cabinet, however she will be reshuffling some responsibilities between him and Cllr Xena Dion, cabinet member for a prosperous and sustainable Poole.