SOUTHEND Council has been forced to apologise to the Chinese community after the deputy mayor liked a “racist comment” on Facebook. 

Mark Flewitt, Tory councillor and deputy mayor, was hauled in front of the standards board over liking the comment and accused of racism. 

Now, a council investigation has found he breached the code of conduct by failing to “treat others with respect” with the standards committee pledging to apologise. 

Mr Flewitt has also been publicly censured.

The comment, which read “you can’t trust these with sweet and sour dog, let alone national security”, was removed by Mr Flewitt several months after it was posted.

Southend Tories have claimed £4,000 was spent on the investigation, branding it a “show trial”. 

Tony Cox, the leader of Southend’s Conservatives, said: “If they want to spend £4,000 on a political show trial, then let them do it.

“We removed ourselves and refused to be part of a process that spent that much of taxpayers money.”

The standards board found councillor Flewitt had breached the council’s code of conduct by failing to “treat others with respect.”

A spokesman from Southend Council, said: “The standards committee considered he had multiple opportunities to engage and if he had done so, this may have seen the matter resolved through an apology.

“The committee places on record that it in no way endorses or supports the comment liked by councillor Flewitt.”

Concerns centred on the racist undertones of the comment. 

The councillor disputed the committee’s claim he failed to engage with the investigation.  Mr Flewitt, added: “It’s wrong to say I was given time to engage with them.

The investigation was already underway before I had a chance.

“They didn’t tell me to delete the comment, I did that off my own back.”

Mr Flewitt has not publicly apologised.

The investigation was prompted by a complaint from Labour councillor Matt Dent, who urged Mr Flewitt to “consider his position.”

He said the “right decision had been made” at the meeting last week.