THE Mayoress of Burnley has stepped down from her civic role because she was feeling “increasingly side-lined”, sources said.

Friends of Mayoress Joan Heginbotham, wife of Cliviger with Worsthorne councillor David, say they have been ‘saddened’ after the rift developed with Mayor Coun Ida Carmichael.

The disagreement is unde-rstood to have stemmed from the growing influence of the Mayor’s Consort, Coun Carmichael’s husband Gavin, with the Mayoress feeling sidelined in her role.

Former councillor Carole Galbraith, who served on the Mayoress’s fund-raising comm-ittee, said she was ‘sad’ that the relationship between the two figures had broken down and the Mayoress had effectively been ‘fired’. Mrs Galbraith said: “For the last six months Joan has been our Mayoress and has brought her special kind of enthusiasm, hard work and dignity to the task of raising money for the (Pendleside) hospice and breast cancer services in Burnley.”

The Mayoress had dedicated “many hours of her time supporting and organising fundraising events throughout the town”, she added.

Town hall leaders are making efforts to ensure the work of the Mayoress’s fund-raising comm-ittee continues unaffected by the announcement.

Council chief executive Steve Rumbelow said: “Unfortunately the working relationship bet-ween the Mayor and Mayoress has broken down to the point where the Mayoress is no longer able to effectively support the Mayor in her duties.

“As a result the Mayor has decided to end the Mayoress’s term of office. While this is regrettable, the decision does not in any way detract from the excellent work the Mayoress and the Mayoress’s committee has done to date.”

He said that the Mayor fully appreciated her “hard work” done on behalf of the Mayor’s Charity Fund. Coun Carmichael was unavailable for comment.

The Mayoress is expected to release a statement later in the week, clarifying her position.