A SERIOUSLY-ill councillor discharged himself from hospital to attend a meeting at South Shields Town Hall – and prevent his expulsion from the council.
Controversial Coun David Potts, a self-confessed alcoholic, has been receiving treatment in recent weeks at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital.
But he left his sick bed for a short time to attend a full meeting of South Tyneside Council last week.
Coun Potts, 30, who represents UKIP in Cleadon and East Boldon, was only in the committee chamber for a few short minutes, but was there long enough to sign an attendance register.
That means he does not need to attend another meeting for a further six months – and can continue to claim his basic councillor’s allowance of approximately £1,000 a month.
Now back in hospital, Coun Potts admitted he attended the meeting to prevent being “kicked off the council”.
And he revealed that hospital tests had confirmed his liver was cirrhotic, with his long-term prognosis “not looking good”.
He said: “I fear it is just a matter of time, although I’m waiting to see the consultants to get a clearer picture.
“The waiting list for a transplant is huge and we’ve already looked at the possibility of a transplant abroad, somewhere, for instance, like Sierra Leone.
“Ideally though, I’d hope to avoid the hassle and expense of that.”
Many who witnessed Coun Potts’s fleeting appearance in the council chamber expressed their concerns for his health.
Last month, he spoke to the Gazette to admit his huge intake of alcohol on a daily basis. One of the people in attendance was Coun Steve Harrison, independent member for Fellgate and Hedworth.
Coun Harrison was “shocked and dismayed” at his political opponent’s appearance.
He said: “He only came in for five minutes. It was brief. He was dishevelled, his hair was everywhere and his skin was really yellow.
“He looked very, very ill. In fact, there were members in the chamber who did not recognise him. It’s really sad.
“If I was in his condition, I wouldn’t be concerned about getting to a meeting. He’s got so much more to worry about.”
Never far from controversy, Coun Potts has found himself in deep water at times.
He was the youngest representative on the council when, as a 21-year-old, he was elected Conservative candidate for Cleadon and East Boldon in 2004.
But the young Tory’s career has imploded in recent years. In January 2011, he came under fire for a foul-mouthed verbal Twitter attack on South Shields MP David Miliband.
Coun Potts told the Gazette he was quitting politics and spoke openly of his alcohol problems, but he continued to collect his councillor’s allowance – to the anger of opponents.
Then early last year, after defecting to UKIP, he was quizzed by police over an alleged breach of data protection after a stormy meeting at Jarrow Town Hall.
He was later disciplined for the matter and his council e-mail account “locked out”.
Between times, he came under fire for tweeting American porn stars and was named ‘socialite of the year’ by magazine Private Eye for his tweets about a ‘sex party’.
Twitter@shieldsgazpaul