Councillor apologises for Aberfan disaster X post

A North Yorkshire councillor has apologised after he used a photo of a tragedy which killed 116 children to make a point on social media.

Conservative member Tom Jones posted an image showing the aftermath of the 1966 Aberfan disaster on X this week.

The tragedy saw a colliery spoil tip collapse onto the Welsh village after heavy rain in 21 October, 1966. It claimed 144 lives after engulfing a junior school and nearby homes.

Jones later deleted the post and apologised, claiming that he "simply googled coal meme and that one came up".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the councillor appeared to use the image to make a point during an online debate on great men in English history.

The word "coal" or "coalposting" can be used as a term to describe a social media post believed to be of low-quality.

Social media users quickly pointed out the origins of the image, and he deleted the post before issuing an apology.

It read: "Completely unreserved apology to anyone I offended with the earlier photo I posted – I simply googled coal meme and that one came up."

He declined to comment further.

The Conservative leader of the council, Carl Les, said Jones should explain his use of the photo.

Councillor Peter Lacey, the Liberal Democrat leader of the opposition, said he was "disappointed" when he saw the post.

He added: "Whilst the Aberfan disaster seems a long time ago and many miles away, being a six-year-old child in a school less than 20 miles (32km) from Aberfan at the time, I know the impact on families and local communities in the area was immense, with scars still present.

"I am glad that Cllr Jones has deleted the post and apologised, but the harm has been done and the insensitive nature of his use of this incident in this way casts serious doubt on his judgement as a councillor."

Jones, member for the Scotton and Lower Wensleydale division, was previously the subject of a 16-month complaints process after he appeared to push down a colleague's hand during a vote in 2023.

The authority's Standards and Governance Committee Hearings Panel found that the councillor had "appeared to have been too heavy-handed" with fellow Tory, councillor Bridget Fortune.

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