A CRISIS-hit council has been dealt a further blow by the resignation of the mayor just three months after taking control of office.Annette Daniel-Ward submitted her resignation from Haverhill Town Council and as town mayor citing health problems and the council are due to elect a new major at their meeting tomorrow .

A CRISIS-hit council has been dealt a further blow by the resignation of the mayor just three months after taking control of office.

Annette Daniel-Ward submitted her resignation from Haverhill Town Council and as town mayor citing health problems and the council are due to elect a new major at their meeting tomorrow .

Mrs Daniel-Ward said the last few months had taken a great toll on her and she had decided to step down on the advice of doctors.

She had been signed off by her doctor since a stormy meeting in July, which collapsed in chaos after she clashed with town clerk Gordon Mussett over his handling of the purchase of a defibrillator for the town.

In her letter of resignation she said she had been proud to represent Haverhill, but most of her time as mayor had been very unhappy.

She said: “I have reluctantly decided to leave. Last week I lost some strength and use of my left arm, which frightened me.

“I have taken this as a sign of things to come and decided my health must come first.

”I am sorry to have let you down by giving up. It was not my wish, but forced upon me by people and health circumstances.”

Independent town councillor Chris Cullum said: “I know she has been under a lot of pressure and I can understand her decision.

“I think she was capable of being town mayor and she had the best intentions but her health has to come first.”

Mrs Daniel-Ward only entered local politics eight weeks before the local elections in May as a member of the now-defunct Haverhill Representative Alliance (HRA).

Speaking after being elected mayor, Mrs Daniel-Ward said she was prompted into standing as a councillor after believing there was not enough activities for teenagers in the town.

Her decision to step down is the latest blow to the beleaguered town council since May's elections.

Just one month after celebrating election success, three members of the HRA stormed out of the ruling party amid claims they were pursuing their own agendas.

Four weeks later, the party disbanded with members preferring to act as independent councillors after weeks of disagreements and in fighting that had plagued the council.

Gerry Kiernan, Labour group leader, said he hoped the council could now make a fresh start and get away from the recent problems.