Town and community councils unable to meet due to lack of elected members

Several town and community councils in Monmouthshire have been left unable to operate due to a lack of candidates in the local elections.

Monmouth Town Council, Llanfoist Community Council, Whitecastle Community Council, and Skenfrith Community Council did not have sufficient candidates at the election on May 5 to make them quorate.

Town and community councils are unable to hold meetings unless they have a sufficient number of members to make them quorate – meaning they have enough members to make decisions or hold an annual meeting.

One former Monmouth town councillor said some candidates were put off standing for election due to previous disputes between members.

Five Monmouth town councillors were elected unopposed, with 14 seats left unfilled. The council has now re-opened nominations in a hope more nominees will come forward.

Jamie Treharne, a former Monmouth town councillor who is now standing for election again, said members found it difficult to work together in the last term.

“It got quite hard at times,” he said.

“There were a lot of people who were not given the full context of decisions made at the town council, so they did not get the full story behind the decisions.

“It’s never going to be coffee and cakes on the town council, but there was an unwillingness with some members of Monmouth Town Council to work with each other and it just got nasty and fractured.

“The outcome of that was that I think some thought if the town council is like that, why give up my free time.”

Mr Treharne said some members on the town council did not turn up for meetings, which added to the work of other councillors.

But he said that when he heard only five candidates had put their names forward, he felt ‘compelled’ to stand again, saying the town council “deserves better”.

Richard Roden, a former Monmouth town councillor, said changes resulting from Covid-19 – such as meetings going online – may also have had an impact.

“It’s novel,” he said.

“When I stood for town council there were eight nominations in a four-seat ward, and on the county council there were three for one seat.

“It’s a dramatic change.”

Mr Roden said he would encourage anyone with the interests of the town at heart to come forward.

Monmouthshire County Council said any council that is not quorate “cannot operate” until they have a sufficient number of members.

A council spokeswoman said: “The council has re-opened the election process to invite further interested candidates to submit nomination papers to fill those vacant seats that remain.

“The nomination period closes on Wednesday. Candidates who submit nomination papers will be elected uncontested provided there are fewer candidates than there are remaining seats.

“Any wards where there are more candidates than there are seats that submit nomination papers will hold an election on June 23, 2022.”