A South Derbyshire councillor has slammed her authority for being represented by "pale, stale and male" leadership with a striking lack of any diversity.

Cllr Amy Wheelton, who was suspended from the Conservative Party in December, said there was an "utter failure" to have South Derbyshire District Council representatives who reflect the community.

Last night (Feb 24) she called for young and more ethnically diverse candidates to come forward in the four by-elections which are to be held in the district this year.

This comes after a mass fall-out among the council's Conservative Group in which 10 members either left, resigned or were suspended, leaving Labour to regain control of the authority after 14 years.

Cllr Wheelton represents the Seales ward - which includes Netherseal, Overseal and Coton - as an Independent Tory, made her comments after the council discussed a new equality, diversity and inclusion strategy for the next five years.

The introduction of the document is accompanied by four pictures of the council leadership team, all of which are white, male and middle-aged with grey hair.

They are Frank McArdle, the authority's chief executive; Cllr Kevin Richards, the authority's new Labour leader; Cllr Andrew Churchill, the new Conservative Group leader; and Cllr Martin Fitzpatrick, leader of the newly formed Independent Group, made up of former members of the Conservative Group.

Cllr Wheelton said: "I note this is a starting point for the next four years and how lucky we are that within the council we have many heads of service, strategic director and monitoring officer, even my refuse driver, is a woman.

"However, when I first read the report, the foreword shocked me, pale, stale and male sprang to mind.

"I hold three of the men in these pictures to the highest regard and no offence is meant by my comments.

"The current administration has not one female chairperson, and I note we still call them chairmen.

"The newest group (the Independent Group) is five men. I am called 'Councillor Mrs Wheelton' not just 'Councillor Wheelton' as the men are, why? It is against my wishes.

"I would ask the leaders of the two main parties to forward this report to their relevant associations who select candidates.

"As district councillors, we must strive to implement the recommendations and radically improve, in my view, the utter failure of the three parties present in this chamber.

"I hope, personally, towards May, a swathe of young, female, ethnically diverse candidates in the by-elections and then see them in this chamber."

Cllr Churchill said: "I note the slightly tongue in cheek barb of being pale and male and hopefully not too stale – I can do little about that. But I think how we live this report is actually much more important."

Labour Cllr Trevor Southerd, the authority's new deputy leader, said he "welcomed the remarks from Cllr Wheelton", particularly as a father of two daughters and three grandaughters.

He said: "It is a little difficult in this kind of report on diversity and encouraging more females into the political world, it is there for them should they want to take it up. There shouldn't be restrictions."

Fiona Pittam, the council's head of organisational development and performance, who wrote the new equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, said: "It is around how we engage young people and diverse communities to become involved in the democratic process and to have a bit more of an understanding about the workings of the council."

South Derbyshire District Council currently has 33 elected members, 32 of which are white and eight of which are female.l