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| Council chief Myfanwy Alexander quits over racial slur | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Powys council's deputy leader has resigned after using a racial slur during a council meeting. | Powys council's deputy leader has resigned after using a racial slur during a council meeting. |
| Myfanwy Alexander used the n-word in a debate about cross-border health services last month. | Myfanwy Alexander used the n-word in a debate about cross-border health services last month. |
| She later apologised and said she had been speaking about the treatment of some patients when they travel over the border to Shropshire for treatment. | She later apologised and said she had been speaking about the treatment of some patients when they travel over the border to Shropshire for treatment. |
| After initially refusing to quit over the "careless word", Ms Alexander handed in her notice on Tuesday. | After initially refusing to quit over the "careless word", Ms Alexander handed in her notice on Tuesday. |
| A spokesman for the council said Ms Alexander would remain a county councillor representing the Banwy ward. | |
| Council leader Barry Thomas said: "I can confirm that councillor Alexander has tendered her resignation from the cabinet with immediate effect and I have accepted that resignation. " | |
| The Shropshire Star quoted her as saying: "We are treated like ******* over the border." | The Shropshire Star quoted her as saying: "We are treated like ******* over the border." |
| She added: "Our language and culture is trampled on and it's a very sensitive issue. | She added: "Our language and culture is trampled on and it's a very sensitive issue. |
| "It's not our fault that we don't have a district general hospital to go to." | "It's not our fault that we don't have a district general hospital to go to." |
| There had been calls for the independent councillor to resign over her use of the word, but she initially resisted them. Ms Alexander told BBC Wales she eventually decided to resign after opposition groups suggested they could bring a vote of no confidence in her. | |
| As Powys council is led by a group of independent councillors who do not have an overall majority, they rely on opposition groups for support. | |
| After Ms Alexander was reprimanded for using the racial slur, she explained she was quoting from author Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, where a black character is refused dental treatment. | |
| "But people who know me will know it was a careless word. You should resign for an attitude, not a word," she said at the time. | |
| John Morris, leader of the council's Liberal Democrat group, said her resignation was "inevitable". | |
| "Her position was untenable from the moment she uttered the words," he added. |