A MALVERN Town councillor has resigned from his duties and claimed the authority is lacking a natural leader.
David Houghton-Smith told the Observer local reports, which were not published by this newspaper, of proposals for the town clerk Linda Blake to get a £16,000 pay rise to a salary of £60,000 had proved the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for him.
As is traditional council procedure, Mr Houghton-Smith formally announced his decision to quit as a member of Malvern Town Council to the town’s Mayor Julian I’Anson.
His resignation comes just a year after he was elected as a councillor.
In a statement, Mr Houghton-Smith said: “I have resigned from Malvern Town Council and am no longer a member.
“I have been unhappy for sometime regarding decisions they have made and the proposal to raise the salary for the town clerk by 37 per cent to £60,000 was the final nail in the coffin.
“It is going to cost the taxpayer more like £70.000 when you add on extra N.I and pension costs. The council precept went up by 5.4 per cent and the public are going to assume its to pay for this and you cannot blame them.
“The town clerk, a good and decent public servant, has assured me that at no time did she ask for a pay rise, so why was it proposed?
“What the council lacks is a really strong leader, some one in the words of Francis Urkhart who is not afraid to put a bit of stick about.”
The now former councillor, who represented the Pickersleigh ward, also said he was unhappy with the council for not funding improvements to Victoria Park.
He added: “If the town clerk thinks the council has plenty of funds what about getting the toilets in Victoria Park refurbished – they are in a disgusting state.”
Asked for the council’s response to the pay increase issue, Malvern Town Council chiefs said they could not discuss the matter yet as it is still a confidential issue.
Mayor Julian I Anson said: “I cannot yet speak about it at it is currently a private matter but it is our duty to announce something when it is possible to do so.”
In response to claims of the council lacking significant leadership, Mr I ‘Anson added: “I don’t know how he can make judgements on the leadership when he failed to attend meetings.”
Fellow Town Councillor Julian Roskams added: “It is disappointing that Mr Houghton-Smith should demonstrate his own lack of leadership, choosing to resign – and force the council to incur the unwelcome cost of a by-election – rather than coming to council to put his case.
“This is no surprise as he has shown a disinclination to involve himself in many of the initiatives led by the town council – most notably development of the neighbourhood plan, which will have a significant and positive effect on the lives of Malvern residents for years to come.
“It is to be hoped that his successor will show rather greater initiative and commitment. ”
Malvern Town Council bosses said it would now start procedures to fill the vacant seat on the council following Mr Houghton-Smith’s departure.
More details will be announced in due course.
