I believe local councils, especially town and parish councils, should be apolitical and less confrontational.

Today I feel ashamed at the behaviour of some of my Conservative colleagues.

Last Monday evening at 7.15pm, I once again asked David Oliver, the Conservative Leader of Wisbech Town Council if we could use an occasional alternative venue for council meetings to enable our disabled councillor and colleague, Brenda Lay, a UKIP Councillor, to attend. The town clerk confirmed that it should be possible and could see no reason why It couldn’t.

David said he would speak with the clerk.

So the council leader knew that the issue of Mrs Lay’s inability to attend our meetings continued to be due to access to the building.

I mention the time and her political party, because our full council meeting started at 7.30pm.

Just because Mrs Lay was “out of the six month attendance” legal requirement, (I was unaware), he could have asked council that evening to agree a suspension of this requirement.

All Councillors have agreed to this whenever it has been raised at town or district usually because a councillor is ill.

He chose not to. I recall on one occasion whilst waiting to go inside for a council meeting, I watched as Mr and Mrs Lay had to return home as cars had blocked her access.

The result of this is she has been sacked for non-attendance and we have yet another town council by-election costing tax payers another £7,500.

This will be the third by-election.

One being in 2014 when a town councillor was found guilty of a fire arms charge.

In 2015 a lady stood down a few weeks after being elected (her boss was unsuccessful in the ward where he had stood) and he was then elected in her place.

Now in 2016 we have a councillor who was prevented from attending a meeting because of poor access for the disabled and has been sacked.

Yet we have two councillors who only attend occasionally in order that they remain councillors but make no contributions to the work of the council.

Some would say it’s just the rules but in my opinion treating a disabled councillor in this manner is unacceptable.

VIRGINIA BUCKNOR

Wisbech Town and Fenland District Councillor