“People in this town are angry, very angry at the amount of money that has been spent on public interest reports and these issues,” she said. “There are great causes in this town, and money has been wasted which could have been spent on the town, for things for young people or the museum.
“We still have no resolution to the issues raised in the public interest report and now we have the suspension of three councillors.
“None of those that have been suspended have any idea why they have been suspended. Some might say it looks like retaliation for them asking critical questions of governance which they are entitled to ask as councillors.
“It’s not sufficient for this just to be a private meeting between a member of the public and the clerk. It must be fully open to the public of Kington – they have a right to know.”
The Mayor, Councillor Allan Lloyd, said: “Because the actual complaint of bullying was made by the responsible officer of this council, it is necessary to have procedures followed.”
Councillor Widdowson said it was the first time the word ‘bullying’ had been used officially and issues of defamation against the suspended councillors may go far beyond other issues raised.
Mrs Forrester said she had looked at the procedure which should have been followed and it had not been. A past chairman of a parish council, a past district councillor and a lay member of an NHS Trust, she pointed out: “I am not an amateur when it comes to governance procedure.”
Newly-elected councillor Jess Squires said Mr Marsden and Mrs Forrester were reflecting what people in the town felt. “They think this council is a load of rubbish and I am ashamed of that. They feel we should be totally disbanded, kicked out and a new council brought in. That is what people are saying. You may not have heard that but that is what they feel.”
The Mayor concluded by saying: “Possibly as the leader of the council I should lead by example and possibly step down.”