Members too ill to meet should resign says leader

Councillor Joanne Monk's remarks have sparked a row at Worcestershire County Council

A council leader has been asked to clarify her comments after suggesting councillors who are too ill to attend meetings should resign.

Reform UK Councillor Jo Monk made the remarks in her first meeting leading Worcestershire County Council.

In a debate on using substitutes in scrutiny panel meetings, which is when a member can send someone in their place, Monk said: "I've sat for the last four years witnessing people coming and going when they felt like it."

Richard Udall, leader of the council's Labour group, said: "We need to know to whom she was referring and what she intends to do to implement any policy changes."

Monk had said: "When you sign up to be a councillor, it's something you should take very seriously and if you sit on more than one panel, you have to ask why – are they going to conflict? And if they do, you shouldn't be sat on all of those panels.

"If you have health issues that are that serious then perhaps you should resign."

Council staff 'worried'

Udall said: "I think she was only talking about councillors, which is in itself surprising as she only had a 60% attendance record in the last council."

He added council staff were now "very worried about what Reform UK in charge may mean to them".

In response, Monk said her comments were made "in reference to some councillors who take on paid positions and then consistently and over a long period of time do not attend those meetings due to a number of reasons, one of which being long-term ill-health".

She said they had not been aimed at those who missed "the odd meeting".

Any effort to link her comments to council staff was "scaremongering", she said.

The council's website states councillors are not paid a salary, but do receive allowances for time and expenses involved in carrying out duties.

A spokeswoman for the council said the authority's constitution allowed substitutions on some committees, providing the substitute member was eligible to serve.

She added the recent full council meeting updated the rules and passed a motion to allow substitutes on five scrutiny panels: Adult care and wellbeing, children and families, economy, environment and corporate and community matters.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.