At a meeting of the Swimming Pool Trust in St. Neots on Thursday 27th August, former UKIP Councillor Bob Farrer referred to a new special needs school as "a new school which is going to be for retards."

The Trinity School, a maintained special school (with three other sites in Foxton, South Cambridgeshire, Hartford and Wisbech) will occupy the old Huntingdonshire Regional College buildings in St Neots. The Trinity School will cater for children with a variety of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and is set to move from Huntingdon to the former regional college site.

Farrer is the Councillor for the Eaton Ford Ward in St. Neots, Cambridgeshire. He was originally a Conservative Councillor but recently defected to UKIP and now stands as an Independent. In November 2013, Farrer and fellow Conservative Ken Churchill defected to UKIP together. Farrer said, “I have made the decision to join the UK Independence Party as to my mind they are nearer to the Conservative Party I joined in 1994... I class Nigel Farage as a man as very similar to myself in that he tells it as it is and he lets the other people decide.”

Farrer had a very close working relationship with Councillor Churchill and they ran a blog together after joining UKIP. Churchill was struck off the register of physiotherapists in 2011 for having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a vulnerable patient in her 70s and Farrer has previously been censured by the district council for calling a member of the public "a prat."

Despite now being listed as an Independent on the Huntingdon District Council website, Farrer is still listed as a UKIP Councillor on the Huntingdonshire UKIP website. David Challice, a Senior Party Official from UKIP Head Office distanced the party from Farrer's comments saying they were "frankly beyond the pale."

For an elected official to refer to children with special needs as "retards" is wholly unacceptable. He did not initially apologise and feels that a simple apology is enough to sweep the issue under the rug. There is no place in public office for someone who would so readily use such an offensive word, particularly in reference to children. 

Please sign this petition to call for the resignation of Councillor Bob Farrer. This behaviour should not be tolerated. If he is not willing to resign, he should be removed from his position by the Council.

Thank you

Contact information for Councillor Bob Farrer:

Home address: 151A Crosshall Road Eaton Ford St Neots PE19 7GB

Phone: 01480 404014

Email: Bob.Farrer@huntingdonshire.gov.uk