A TENANTS’ representative who resigned from the board of St George’s Community Housing has been reinstated after publicly apologising to councillors he previously slammed.

George Kreuder, a tenant member of St George’s Community Housing board, ate humble pie at the latest St George’s board meeting. He had quit after a series of rows with Basildon Tory councillors David Dadds and John Dornan, as revealed by the Echo last month.

He then wrote a letter to the Echo, saying the councillors had done nothing but pour scorn, abuse and ridicule upon the efforts of the board and made it clear they held no allegiance to St George’s, while doing all they could to hinder it.

However, less than a month after resigning, he has made full and frank apologies to both councillors and been voted back on.

Prior to the vote, Mr Kreuder told the latest board meeting: “I wholly, unconditionally and unreservedly apologise if I caused offence or embarrassment by anything I may have said or done.

“I give my unequivocal apologies to council members for comments made in my letters to the local paper.”

He promised his behaviour would be in future “completely professional” and he had the best interests of the board at heart.

Mr Dornan said: “I accept George’s belated apology and am now in the embarrassing position of having instructed a solicitor to act on behalf of me to rescind that appointment.”

However, he said he could not vote in favour of Mr Kreuder’s return, saying his position was now untenable.

All other board members voted to accept his reappointment.

Mr Dornan later told the Echo: “Given the full and frank apology, the matter is put to bed and our behaviour has been vindicated.

“There have been highly critical comments of my robust challenging of board decisions from Lib Dem and Labour councillors and in light of this I now expect them to apologise also.”