A Reform UK councillor in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Christine Duffy, briefly resigned her seat citing a lack of training, but has now reversed her decision after it emerged she had handed her resignation letter to the wrong local authority. She initially delivered the letter to Kidsgrove Town Council rather than Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, the body actually responsible for processing it, and had a change of heart before it reached the correct official — meaning her withdrawal was accepted despite Electoral Commission rules stating resignations cannot normally be rescinded once received.

Duffy's letter, dated 4 August, said she had received "very little or no training" for the role. The letter was later shared publicly by rival group Kidsgrove Independents, prompting Duffy to accuse them of exploiting a private document for "party political purposes" while insisting she remains committed to serving the Town ward. Newcastle-under-Lyme's chief executive, Gordon Mole, confirmed that by the time the letter reached him as the "proper officer" under the Local Government Act 1972, he had already been told its contents were withdrawn, so Duffy continues in post. The episode follows a separate case in May in which Kirklees Reform councillor Sarah Wood admitted she did not understand how the council's constitution worked.