A town councillor has quit Penrith Town Council seven months after getting elected as an independent councillor for Penrith west ward.
The now former town councillor Jeff Thomson resigned from Penrith town council on Monday afternoon with claims he was facing mounting Penrith Town Council opposition.
Mr Thomson’s resignation comes less than a year after his election to the town council in May 2023. Within weeks of becoming a town councillor Mr Thomson resigned from the town council planning committee and walked out of a number of town council meetings in protest.
In a statement released by Mr Thomson on his resignation he said “I'd like to explain to the people of west ward who voted for me in the May 2023 Penrith Town Council elections, why I am standing down as their democratically-elected town councillor. I have been unable to progress the mandate, I was elected on, through the town council.”
“All public authorities including councils must work harder within their local communities – speaking, talking, communicating, listening to residents opinions, views and wishes. They are there to service their communities, not dictate to their communities.”
“I feel working with the newly formed Castletown Community Action Group will a better way to achieve the cleaner, safer, healthier, more environmentally friendly, local community, we the residents, want and deserve.”
“Plus, my personal ambition for a community governance review for Castletown, to give the area the opportunity of parish council status, along similar lines to Clifton Community Council, south east of the town.”
“Please, no one doubt my commitment to the local area and improved environment, campaigning for safer roads and less industrial pollution. But, sadly the town council is not the best vehicle to achieve these objectives.”
The vacant seat on the town council could now be left vacant with the next elections not until 2027 or filled by the town council via co-option or with a by election that could cost the town council thousands of pounds to hold.
The contested Penrith West town council elections in May 2023 resulted in three councillors elected for Penrith west including Mr Thomson with the fourth candidate who lost later coopted by the town council last june into a vacant Penrith East seat that Mr Thomson has vocally opposed and in his final hours as a councillor challenged the town councillor who Mr Thomson claims is not democratically elected to the post to also resign.
Speaking with our reporter a short time ago Mr Thomson said the town council had already removed login access to town council emails and systems.
In an online challenge to Cllr Knaggs the now former town councillor Thomson said “If you'd like to resign your east ward 'co-opted' council seat, I'll resign my west ward 'elected' council seat. We can then stand against each other for democratic voter election in whichever of the two wards you decide - east or west. Don't delete, just answer !”
It’s understood that the town council meeting on the 29th of January was set to debate 9 code of conduct complaints lodged against Mr Thomson by other town councillors over actions and comments made by former Councillor Thomson.
Its not known if the town council will now debate the nine code of conducts due to the resignation of Mr Thomson today.
The Chair of Penrith Town Council Cllr Doug Lawson said “the Town Council is always open to working with community groups, as we have shown over the last few years.”
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