A COUNCILLOR for Wotton-under-Edge has been kicked off of Stroud District Council after failing to appear at a single meeting for six months.

Alan O’Connor, who represented the town and North Nilbey as a Liberal Democrat councillor, has not been seen or heard from by his own party for over three months and has not attended one council meeting for over half a year.

As a consequence chief executive of SDC David Hagg dismissed him as a councillor under the Local Government Act at the authority's latest meeting on Thursday, November 28 at Ebley Mill.

Mr Hagg, who was not at the meeting but had sent an open letter to councillors which was read out, said that because the vacancy for a councillor came up close to the elections next year in May, a by-election would not be held.

The councillor, who is believed to have moved to Bath, has claimed £2,944.22 in the last seven months in allowances and mileage for his role.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats at SDC, Cllr Paul Hemming, (Kingswood) said the party had not heard from Mr O'Connor for around four months.

“One of the problems originally was that he was away quite a lot working with the Ministry of Defence,” he said.

“Whilst we have given apologies at a few meetings originally, there’s been little contact in the last two or three months. We have sort of lost touch with him a little bit.”