Another Leominster town councillor resigns

A Herefordshire town councillor is the latest in the county to resign his seat – but insists there is “nothing dramatic” behind the move.

Coun Mark Woodall is stepping away from his position on Leominster Town Council, while staying on as the Greens’ ward member for Leominster South on Herefordshire Council.

“It’s nothing dramatic, I have several reasons,” he said.

“I need to do more ward work, and we are coming up for elections in the county, for which there will be a lot of campaigning and I don’t want to be campaigning for both.

“Also, my wife has had a word.”

He explained that townspeople “contact me without knowing or caring if I’m the ward councillor or the town councillor – and it still works”.

Having been co-opted onto the town council by fellow members in 2022, he retained the position May 2023 following an uncontested election.

Up to now he served on its Planning & Highways and Finance & General Purposes committees.

“People on the town council are really nice, there is a camaraderie, there are no issues or conduct complaints,” Mr Woodall said.

This contrasts with the acrimonious circumstances under which former Ledbury town councillor Ewen Sinclair resigned, also this week, in the wake of code of conduct complaints which he claimed were got up to harm his reputation.

A notice published by Leominster Town Council said a “casual vacancy is deemed to have occurred” in the parish, and that an election to fill it will be held if ten voters within it request this within 14 days – in which case it would have to take place within 60 days.

“If a request for an election is not received by this deadline then the parish council will co-opt a person to fill the vacancy as soon as practicable,” it adds

A further 22 councillors have resigned from parish councils in the county since the start of the year, Herefordshire Council’s website shows, while two have died and one, Alexis Richards-Powell of Thruxton, was removed for “failure to attend meeting”.

None of the departures have so far led to contested elections.