A Derbyshire councillor who is bidding to become the national Green Party’s Deputy Leader has told how references he made about suicide on social media ten years ago as a schoolboy simply related to a discussion about not enough work being submitted for an art course.

NE Derbyshire District Cllr Frank Adlington-Stringer was alarmed when Tweets from his teens were revealed including an individual dialogue with a friend from 2016 when they were teenagers and were both worried about getting into trouble for not producing enough coursework.

The old social media post was circulated by an undisclosed source on the final day of campaigning for the national Green Party’s Deputy Leadership and it reveals comments from Cllr Adlington-Stringer about death and hanging and although he deeply regrets posting the comments he stressed they have been wrongly perceived out of context and they were not his views then or now.

Cllr Adlington-Stringer said: “There was a group of three of us sitting at the same table and we had not done enough art pieces and we were going to get a b********g the next day at school. I made an incredibly insensitive comment but not actually meant at the time.

placeholder image — Cllr Frank Adlington Stringer

“There are a number of Tweets like that taken out of context. They are things that are regrettable that I would not say today. People grow and change and they are not the same people they were when they were doing their GCSEs.”

One of the Tweets involves a dialogue between Cllr Adlington-Stringer and a friend which he says was made when he was a teenager and a schoolboy and not a councillor or a public figure and it refers to death and hanging.

But at the time, after a friend had stated they were ‘also planning on killing themselves’, Cllr Adlington-Stringer posted: “people are far too negative about death, I think that sometimes it’s just the right thing to do.”

And after the person in the dialogue posts ‘correctamundo’, Cllr Adlington-Stringer goes on to post: “I think hanging is the best way. Firstly it’s very DIY and cost effective, most of the tools I already own.”

Cllr Adlington-Stringer, who deeply regrets making the comments in any context, explained the person he was chatting with was never in any danger of killing themselves and he still sees them today, and that youngsters from his generation were among the first to be able to suddenly and unwittingly broadcast comments online during their adolescence.

He added: “My generation were pioneers of this unfortunate situation of being able to broadcast yourself online. There is a big conversation about social media use in schools and whether kids should have phones.”

Cllr Adlington-Stringer added: “There is a serious conversation we should have about children and how this will impact them going forward in careers and with the mental health of people, and hopefully a much bigger conversation should be had to make sure we have the regulation we need so we can support people properly.”

The national Green Party Deputy Leader candidate, who is running against six other candidates, said people will put things on social media that they will regret in ten years’ time but people grow and change and he believes the reposting of his schoolboy Tweets was linked to efforts to derail his campaign.

He said: “Come September, there is going to be a new leadership and the negative campaigning through this election is unlike anything I have seen in the Green Party. It’s not the campaign I would run, or ever run, or the politics I stand for.”

Cllr Adlington-Stringer added that people grow and change which is something he feels the Green Party should accept to bring people along.

However, he also feels ‘really disappointed’ that his schoolboy Tweets have been dug up and may have been purposefully used as part of a Green Party Deputy Leadership campaign strategy.

He said: “I would never use that language and I would never speak like that now and this is why they have had to dig so deep because I have always held myself professionally.”

Cllr Adlington-Stringer added that people should be moving away from this type of politics and addressing the issues that matter because the public are sick and tired of this in-fighting.

The Green Party is holding Leadership and Deputy Leadership elections with voting between August 1 and August 30 and the results are to be announced on September 2.

Cllr Adlington-Stringer responded to the social media revelation on social media stating: “Screenshots of tweets I shared over a decade ago as a teenage schoolboy are being circulated on the final day of the campaign.

“These are, clearly for those who know me, not reflective of the person I am today. I’ve grown to fight social and racial injustices at every level.”

He added in a further social media update: “I have self-referred to the Disciplinary Committee for due process and apologise for any offence caused.

“If you have any concerns or questions, please do feel free to get in touch. I am, as always, happy to talk this through.”

Cllr Adlington-Stringer also pointed out that he too has suffered with his own mental health and suicidal thoughts so he understands the significance of his comments even within the context of his adolescent years but he said they were not meant in the way they may have been wrongly perceived and he stressed in the ‘strongest terms’ that he does not advocate suicide.

A Green Party spokesperson said: “The Green Party never condones suicide or advocates that anyone should take their own life. We believe strongly that there needs to be increased funding for mental health care – especially for young people – putting it on an equal footing with physical health care.

“Cllr Adlington-Stringer has made clear these were comments made a long time ago when he was a teenager. He has stated that this has been taken out of context and does not reflect his current or historic views on suicide or on tackling mental health problems. He has referred himself to the Party’s Disciplinary Committee. He remains a Green Party councillor and candidate in the Deputy Leadership elections.”

Derbyshire County Council has formed the Derbyshire Self-harm and Suicide Prevention Partnership Forum so that organisations from across the county can work together and help tackle the issue of suicide.

Its website page offers helpful online links including ‘suicide prevention strategy’, ‘free suicide awareness training’ and ‘mental health training’ with a list of contacts for those needing support including the Derbyshire Mental Health Helpline and Support Service provided by mental health practitioners and it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be phoned on 0800 028 0077.

The Samaritans charity which provides contact for those with overwhelming issues and suicidal thoughts provides a 24-hour support service with a helpline on 116 123 and online support via contact Samaritans online.

The Samaritans was offered an opportunity to provide a statement but a spokesperson said they would not be offering a comment on this occasion.