A RIBBLE Valley farmer convicted last month of environmental offences has been disqualified as a parish councillor.
Hayden Fortune, of Pyethornes Farm, Wigglesworth, was elected parish councillor for Bolton-by-Bowland, Gisburn Forest and Sawley, Gisburn Forest Ward, in an un-contested election in May, 2023.
In March, the 50-year old was sentenced at York Magistrates Court for allowing waste to be dumped on his land following an investigation by the Environment Agency.
He admitted operating a waste operation on his land between May 2024 and October 2025, except under and to the extent authorised by an environmental permit, and was given a 12 month prison sentence suspended for two years, and fined £2,500 for breaching an unrelated prison sentence. He was also sentenced to 20 days of rehabilitation activity and ordered to pay costs of £10,000 and a surcharge of £187.
A Ribble Valley Borough Council spokesperson said: “York Magistrates’ Court has confirmed that Hayden Fortune has not lodged an appeal against his sentence for environmental offences.
“As such, he is now disqualified as a councillor under the Local Government Act, which prohibits anyone sentenced to three months imprisonment or more, whether suspended or not, from local public office.
“Disqualification takes effect upon conviction, or the day any subsequent appeal is finished, abandoned, or not pursued.”
