A parish councillor who has not attended a monthly Parish Council meeting since July 2013 is to remain on Alderley Edge Parish Council.
Cllr Joseph Bergin, Chairman of the Finance Committee of Alderley Edge Parish Council, was appointed a Partner at a private equity fund management company based in the Johannesburg area of South Africa in September.
He joined the Parish Council in May 2011 when no election was required because only nine candidates registered and there are nine seats on Alderley Edge Parish Council. At the time three members of the council stepped down and were replaced, uncontested, with three new members from the Conservative Party.
I contacted Cllr Matthew Lloyd, Chairman of Alderley Edge Parish Council, to enquire whether Joseph Bergin had resigned from the Parish Council and if so whether an election might be held to find a replacement.
Cllr Matthew Lloyd responded "It is certainly true that Joseph's work is taking him abroad more than he anticipated but he is still meeting the legal requirements of a sitting councillor. We are in regular contact and he is still making a valuable contribution to the work of the parish council."
Comments
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Joseph Bergin attended the January 2014 Plans meeting. He continues, even from RSA, to provide a valuable contribution to the Football Club and their part in the Wilmslow Road site.
As a parish councillor he should also stand down if he is going to be away for so long.
Legal requirements and moral responsibilities are two very different beasts.