At a recent Full Council meeting of East Devon District Council (EDDC), council members passed a motion to write to Simon Jupp, MP about former councillor John Humphreys.

The motion agreed was:

This Council wishes to express its deep disappointment that John Humphreys was permitted by the Conservative party to hold prominent roles as a local Conservative politician for more than four years following his arrest for serious sexual offences against two boys in May 2016. Humphreys was subsequently convicted and imprisoned for 21 years in August 2021.

Despite being under criminal investigation from May 2016, John Humphreys subsequently:
(A) stood as a Conservative candidate for election (Exmouth Town Council May 2019) and thereafter remained an Exmouth Town Councillor representing the Conservative Party until August 2020
(B) continued being a Conservative District Councillor until May 2019
(C) campaigned in the town, district and parliamentary elections for the Conservative Party (May and December 2019)
(D) was nominated by the Conservative Party for the award of Alderman which he received from East Devon District Council in December 2019.

In the eleven months since John Humphreys’ conviction, the Conservative Party locally and nationally, has refused to explain why it allowed John Humphreys to continue in these positions of prominence and even nominated him as an Alderman despite being under criminal investigation.

In the interests of the safety and wellbeing of children in the district this Council calls on Simon Jupp MP to obtain from the relevant part of the Conservative party an urgent explanation as to what went wrong with the Conservative Party's vetting and safeguarding processes in East Devon and provide reassurance that these issues have now been addressed and resolved.’