Hythe West Councillor Misses Key Council Meeting

Conservative Hythe West Councillor, Linda Oliver, who is currently at the centre of a storm about failing to resign as a Councillor for Hythe West despite moving to Bath, failed to turn up to the key Shepway Council budget setting meeting at Shepway Civic Centre in Folkestone last night.

The setting of the budget is one of the key tasks of the Council. Cllr Oliver had been on BBC News during the day from Bath trying to defend her failure to resign as a Councillor for Hythe despite moving 180 miles away to Bath. The BBC yesterday said:

"The Tory councillor said lots of people commuted to work and it was only a two-and-a-half hour trip to her ward."

Councillor Oliver then did not attend the Full Council meeting at which the Council tax and budget for Shepway Council for 2008-09 was set, sending apologies instead. Liberal Democrat Councillor and Local Party Chairman Tim Prater has joined calls from local residents and the local Herald newspaper for Cllr Oliver to resign. He said:

"You just cannot live 180 miles from Hythe and properly represent this area.

"Hythe West deserves proper representation. It's a disgrace the Conservatives are allowing the Olivers to keep their seats, and denying local residents the opportunity to elect local people to represent them.

"The Hythe Conservative Party should be ashamed. They need to stop defending the indefensible. The people of Hythe West deserve to be treated with more respect.

"In short, as the Herald said last week - the Olivers should resign."