One Council Attendance in Nine Months – But Councillor Continues to Draw Allowance

Published on: 15 Feb, 2019
Updated on: 16 Feb, 2019

Cllr Michael Illman

A borough councillor who has attended only one council meeting in nine months continues to draw his approximate £5,000 annual allowance and cannot be removed.

Michael Illman (Con, Shalford), former GBC lead councillor for finance, was elected in 2015, deselected as a candidate for Shalford last year but successfully appealed, complaining about the conduct of the chairman of the selection panel.

The Local Government Act 1972, Section 85, legislates that if a councillor fails to attend any council meeting in six consecutive months, he or she shall cease to be a member.

The month Cllr Illman last attended a council meeting, at which he was expected, was in May last year (2019). Soon after he was replaced as the lead member for finance by the previous post-holder, Cllr Nigel Manning (Con, Ash Vale), who had been serving as deputy mayor and mayor for two years.

About this time, Cllr Illman is believed to have withdrawn his application for candidature for this year’s council elections. The application had to start afresh after his successful appeal.

Councillor Illman’s attendance record taken from the GBC website. Attendance dropped following his removal from the Executive Committee in May.

A council spokesperson said: “Cllr Illman has not failed to attend a meeting throughout a consecutive period of six months since his previous attendance at the Executive on May 22, 2018. He attended the meeting of the planning committee on September 12, 2018. Due to that attendance, Cllr Illman has not triggered Section 85 and remains a councillor.”

In an unconfirmed report, one fellow councillor claims Cllr Illman attended the September 12 meeting only long enough to sign the attendance register and did not take part in any planning items on the agenda. Cllr Illman is not a member of the committee.

The council spokesperson added: “Attendance at a committee meeting to satisfy the requirements of Section 85 is not dependent on membership of that committee.”

The councillor has not yet responded to invitations for comment from Dragon NEWS.

Cllr Paul Spooner

Council leader Paul Spooner (Con, Ash South and Tongham), said: “I am disappointed when councillors of any party fail to regularly engage with council activity. Formal meetings of the council are only part of the story but I believe that if you stand for election you should be prepared to make yourself available for council meetings as well as maintain ward work.

“Cllr Illman was a regular within council prior to last May. We have not seen much of him at formal meetings since but I do believe he has continued to support work in his ward and he has attended a couple of [Conservative] group meetings since May.”

A council spokesman confirmed that it is doubtful that attendance at political group meetings would, by itself, qualify as attendance of a “meeting of the authority” as specified in law and that Cllr Illman has continued to receive his basic allowance.

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