Safer & Stronger Communities Cabinet Member arrested of drug charges

Following police raids on 11 September 2026 targeting the illegal sale of unlicensed medicines, Humberside Police arrested a 43-year-old man and seized suspected Class A drugs. Waltham ward councillor James Sawkins—the North East Lincolnshire Council Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities—was subsequently listed for a hearing at Hull Magistrates' Court on 17 September.

Rather than issuing an immediate suspension for a cabinet member tied to a severe law enforcement action, Council Leader Oliver Freeston publicly claimed Sawkins was merely "stepping away" to "grieve the loss of his father". This protective approach exposes a blatant double standard in Cllr Freeston’s leadership. Just weeks earlier, in September 2026, Freeston aggressively moved to remove and effectively force out former Cabinet Portfolio Holder Tanya Brasted over unproven allegations of financial misappropriation regarding a local Christmas Ball fundraiser. 

The fact that Cllr Freeston will swiftly remove a colleague over internal party fund disputes, yet use a sensitive family bereavement to shield a Cabinet member dealing with a major police drug and fraud inquiry, represents a profound failure of ethics, consistency, and democratic accountability.