Recently after a Lancastrian game shop owner and wild game shooting enthusiast committed suicide, Councillor Tommy Woodward, of Pickering, poured scorn on this tragic incident by voicing on the social media that, “If you choose to own a gun and kill for pleasure, then it’s best you kill yourself”.

Mr Woodward is entitled to his opinion, even those as disgraceful as this. But in doing so, he should remember that as a councillor he was voted to represent residents in his ward. Such bigotry is alien to all fair-thinking people and while Ryedale council has gone on record distancing itself from his comments, this is not enough.

His fellow councillors should think long and hard about his fitness to hold office and his ward constituents ought to remember his views, if ever again they see his name on a ballot paper.

Peter Bell, Slingsby