Tempers have flared again at what has been dubbed Britain’s most rancorous council after a “rat” row.
A member of Attleborough Town Council, which has also been nicknamed “Battleborough” and “Aggroborough”, has been accused of calling someone in a meeting a “vexatious little rat” in the latest dispute.
Samantha Taylor admitted to using the phrase but withheld who she directed the insult to.
The town council has become infamous due to a string of explosive arguments, which some have led to the prosecution of its members.
Attleborough, a town in between Norwich and Thetford, has traditionally been known for its cider making a turkey rearing and, more recently, its hot-headed council.
The council is comprised of opposing factions which reflect tensions between the Conservatives and Reform UK.
One faction, led by Mrs Taylor and several her friends and family, referred to as “the Taylors”, are Tory councillors, the Wymondham & Attleborough Mercury reports.
The other is made up of critics of Mrs Taylor’s group who have been elected more recently, called the Newbies, who mostly represent Reform UK.
Mrs Taylor (far left) with friends and her daughter, Taila Taylor (second to right) who is deputy town mayor of Attleborough
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FACEBOOK / ATTLEBOROUGH TOWN COUNCIL
According to Daniel Burcham, a Newbie, he overheard Mrs Taylor use the phrase “vexatious little rat” whilst talking to two other members of her faction at a break in a meeting last week and believes she was referring to him.
He said: “Whether the meeting was being conducted or not, she said it in a professional capacity in a professional setting. None of us are outspoken or rude.
“Yes, we debate, we scrutinise, and we challenge, but we do have dignity and respect. We don’t get personal with each other.
“She’s got a reputation for being downright rude and disrespectful to not only residents, but other councillors.”
Councillor Daniel Burcham, part of the ‘Newbie’ faction
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ATTLEBOROUGH TOWN COUNCIL
Mrs Taylor, who admitted to calling a member of public “short and fat” in a meeting last year, has accused Mr Burcham of “earwigging” and refused to name the person she was referring to.
She said: “It was a private conversation between myself and a colleague.
“It wasn’t in a meeting, it wasn’t in an official setting.
“There is no requirement for councillors to be friends.
Mrs Taylor, who is also a Conservative chair of Breckland Council said: “I’m human, and who says that I’m not acting like it? I didn’t shout it, I didn’t scream it, I was talking to a colleague about somebody in the room.
“If councillor Burcham felt that that comment was about him, then he was being rude, because he was earwigging on a private conversation, which is rude in itself.
“If he felt that that comment was about him, I think that says more about his conduct through the meeting than it does mine.”
This comes as the two councillors have also been embroiled in a business dispute.
Mr Burcham for two months last year, he ran the town’s Bear pub, which is owned by the Taylors.
However, the family ended the arrangement after the Taylors said Mr Burcham did not meet the lease conditions.
He has since started in a different pub, the Griffin, but his departure from the Taylors’ bear sparked heated debate in the town – particularly online.
To further add to the tensions within the council and more broadly the town, last year, Stephen Fraser, a councillor who aligns himself with the Taylor faction, pleaded guilty to a drunken incident where he smashed a shop window with stones.
He still sits on the council, despite calls for him to stand down.
Mrs Taylor’s daughter, Taila Taylor, also an Attleborough councillor and the town’s deputy mayor, was at the scene of the incident and faced criticism as to why she didn’t report the incident.
She said she didn’t witness any wrongdoing.
Another Attleborough councillor, Dominic De Souza, is awaiting trial on stalking and assault charges, after being charged last year and summoned to appear at Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court in April.
On top of this, in 2022, former town mayor, Tony Crouch, was shot twice with an air weapon within six months and received threatening letters warning “we can get you anytime we want” and telling him to “hope your funeral is sorted”.
Tensions have repeatedly spilled into public view, including a council meeting the year before when Mr Crouch stormed out and police were called amid protests.
The atmosphere has become so toxic that the council agreed last year to fund therapy sessions for its members using public money.
Local anger has intensified, with dozens of residents attending meetings, staging protests and holding signs demanding senior figures step down.
Eight formal complaints about councillor conduct were made to Breckland Council’s monitoring officer last year, though none were upheld.
The latest dispute prompted intervention from Breckland council leader Sam Chapman-Allen, who criticised inflammatory language and urged civic leaders to “lower the temperature”, calling for more constructive and positive dialogue in Attleborough.