Uckfield residents are set to vote in a by-election next month, after a councillor was disqualified for non-attendance.
Last month Wealden District Council announced that one of two Uckfield New Town seats had become vacant due to non-attendance. The seat had formerly been held by Independent councillor Spike Mayhew.
National legislation requires a member of a local authority to attend at least one meeting of that authority within a six month consecutive period in order to avoid being disqualified as a councillor.
Council attendance records show Cllr Mayhew had only attended one public meeting between his election in May 2023 and a notice of vacancy being published on February 26 this year.
The attendance records show Cllr Mayhew had been expected to attend seven meetings during this time period, although two of these meetings took place after a six month period of non-attendance had already lapsed.
Cllr Mayhew offered apologies (i.e. prior notice of non-attendance) for just two of the six meetings he missed.
Social media posts seen by the LDRS appear to show Cllr Mayhew had been on holiday for three dates he was expected to have attended full council meetings.
When contacted by the LDRS, Mr Mayhew did not deny having been on holiday during council meetings, saying he had booked trips prior to his election.
Mr Mayhew declined to make further comment, saying he had been advised not to speak to the media by Uckfield Town Council (where he remains a councillor). The town council confirmed this was the case when contacted by the LDRS.
He also declined to comment when asked whether he would be returning the allowance paid to him as a councillor.
When approached for comment, a Wealden District Council spokesperson said: “As set out in the Notice of Vacancy dated 26.2.24, due to non-attendance, a vacancy arose in the district ward of Uckfield New Town.
Information on the council’s website shows a by-election for Uckfield New Town is due to take place on Thursday, April 4. Three candidates have been nominated: Conservative Helen Firth; Independent Donna Rachel French; and Labour’s George Robert Keith Wilson.
