Tostock Parish Council issued with injunction after councillor removed from office

A High Court judge has placed an interim injunction on Tostock Parish Council after one of its councillors was thrown off the council for not attending meetings.

Olivia Boland was removed from office but said she didn’t attend meetings because of concerns over Covid-19.

She took the parish council to court as she felt the way in which the authority dealt with the matter was “grossly unfair”.

Ms Boland, via a statement to the High Court, said that she received an email on June 10 from Sharon Burman, town clerk, which said: “A period of six months has passed since your apologies for absence were received for the meeting of Tostock Parish Council, on 9th December 2020.

“As you have not sought the council’s approval for your absence at any meeting held since that date, under the provisions of s.85 (1) Local Government Act 1972 you have automatically vacated office on 9th June 2021 and therefore cease to be a member of the Council. A casual vacancy will be declared.”

Ms Boland was elected in May 2019 and had not been to council meetings since last summer.

In her statement she said she did not attend a meeting in May as she had just had her second Covid-19 jab, nor a meeting in December due to coronavirus safety concerns.

She added: “Given that it was the clerk and the chairman who insisted we were not allowed to use Zoom etc, and ordered us to conduct email meetings to discharge our statutory duties, it is therefore, grossly unfair, now that I am the only councillor to be vacated by the clerk, without the council obtaining proper legal advice.”

Council chairman Pip Fletcher said that because of current legal proceedings it would be inappropriate for the parish council to comment on the matter.