Fife councillor who moved 200 miles from his ward is removed from committee role
A councillor recently revealed to be living over 200 miles from his ward has been replaced on a Fife Council committee after just a month.
Councillor Conner Young was appointed to the local authority’s Standards, Audit and Risk Committee on August 27, taking over from fellow Conservative councillor Dave Dempsey.
According to the minutes, he was not in attendance at that meeting and no apologies for his absence were submitted.
He has now been replaced by Labour councillor, Judy Hamilton, after Fife Council agreed necessary amendments to committees following changes in political group membership across the council.
This was brought about after Cllr Kathleen Leslie switched from the Conservatives to the Labour party in June, and Cllrs Darren Watt and James Leslie later resigned from the Conservative party and became independent councillors. As a result, the Conservative Group lost one seat on the Standards, Audit and Risk Committee while the Labour group gained a seat.
Commenting on the changes at Wednesday’s committee meeting, convener Brian Goodall said: “I would normally pay tribute to the outgoing member but as he was not able to attend any of the meetings in the short time he was on the committee, I am not able to do that - but I welcome Judy to the committee.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported earlier this week that Cllr Young, who is one of three elected members for the West Fife Villages, has been carrying out his role while staying in Southport.
A post from the councillor’s private Facebook, which was posted in June of this year, stated that he had been living in the Merseyside seaside town for over a year.
Southport is just over 220 miles from the West Fife villages and takes nearly four hours to get to by road and at least four hours and 18 minutes by rail – with at least three changes. West Fife Villages Forum chairperson, Ronnie Collins, has called into question how the job – which attracts an annual salary of £26,839 – can be done from such a distance.
However, Cllr Young, who was elected in 2022 and has been blind since birth, insisted he is able to carry out his role.
He stated: “I believe I continue to represent my constituents in the West Fife coastal villages on the issues that matter most to them. I continue to participate in Council meetings and scrutinise the failures of the Labour-led council.
“While it has been an honour and a privilege to serve this ward the last four years, I have already made it clear that I will not be seeking re-election in the next term.”