A senior Labour councillor has been suspended by his party after photographs emerged appearing to show him ‘blacked up’ and dressed as a woman at a party.
In the image, which was posted on his Facebook page, Jim Hobson, 53, seems to be wearing make-up to darken his face, a black wig, black dress, tights and stiletto shoes.
The picture was ‘liked’ by Lisette Roe, his partner, who is also a Labour councillor in Blackpool.
Mr Hobson was suspended shortly after being re-elected on May 4 as Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for children’s services. Labour has not revealed the reasons behind his suspension.
But it comes after a complaint to the council at the beginning of this month about the photograph, which is believed to have been taken at a youth centre event and posted on Facebook in 2013.
In the 2013 image, Jim Hobson, 53, seems to be wearing make-up to darken his face, a black wig, black dress, tights and stiletto shoes
Mr Hobson was suspended shortly after being re-elected on May 4 as Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for children’s services
Reporting the matter to the council, a member of the public accused Mr Hobson of being a ‘racist and a misogynist’ who ‘dressed up as a black female and should not be a councillor on behalf of Labour and Blackpool Council’.
Although Mr Hobson has since taken his Facebook page down, the photograph has been shared by residents’ groups on social media.
One resident said: ‘I have so many questions and issues with this, I don’t know where to begin. But I feel really angry.’
Mark Butcher, an independent candidate who stood against Mr Hobson in the town’s Bloomfield ward, said: ‘The picture has upset quite a lot of people including a number of mixed-race people who live in the ward. Doing what he did, where he did it, it’s not right.’
Mr Hobson, who is divorced with a grown-up son, did not respond to telephone calls or emails.
A Labour Party spokesman said: ‘The party does not comment on internal party matters.’
