Resignations at Stokenchurch Parish Council

Another councillor has resigned from Stokenchurch Parish Council, bringing the total number of departures to six since August.

Tracy Ramsden became the sixth parish councillor to step down from the authority when she resigned on December 23.

She was elected chairman of the council in September following the resignation of Victoria Nuthall.

The run of resignations began on August 29 with the departure of Ms Nuthall, followed by Simon Bays and John McNeill in September. Louise Turvey and Tracey Young both resigned in November.

At the council’s most recent extraordinary meeting, held on December 22, councillors discussed the appointment of an interim clerk, received an update on Longburrow Hall and considered staffing matters.

According to the meeting agenda, all items were discussed with the public and press excluded.

There has been a series of extraordinary meetings held by the council in recent months.

Earlier this month, on December 8, the authority also published a notice seeking to appoint a new parish clerk and responsible financial officer.

In September, the Free Press reported that the council had stopped all non-essential spending, blaming “unexpected costs” in recent months.

At a subsequent meeting in November, the chairman issued a statement saying the council had experienced backdated charges through “no fault” of its own and that staff had been working hard to resolve the issue.

The statement said the council had been subject to a “continuous campaign” to discredit the authority and direct criticism towards individual councillors and members of staff.

It said: “Again, to clarify, we are in a financially sound place, and I want to reassure parishioners of this.

“We have had a couple of resignations from council members, and whilst we cannot speak for those Stokenchurch Parish Council councillors, I would like to speak of the pressures surrounding being on the council and remind Parishioners that your council is made up of volunteers and part-time staff.

“Councillors join because they first and foremost want to help and improve the community, giving up their time for the love of Stokenchurch.

“Finding the balance between the demands of Stokenchurch Parish Council, work and personal life is hard; the council requires a lot of time for all, but for the love of Stokenchurch councillors volunteer.

“We have an incredible team of staff who have been working hard to get Stokenchurch to where it needs to be and are discussing new and exciting projects.”