Furious residents are calling on a Conservative councillor to resign after he claimed over £7000 in expenses, to attend just TWO council meetings in a year.
Blackpool councillor Michael Jebson faces a vote of no confidence from his Labour opponents after it emerged he had accepted £7234 in allowances for his time and transport.
Jonathon Bamborough, the Liberal Democrat former councillor for the Anchorsholme ward which Cllr Jebson now represents, described his behaviour as "outrageous".
He said; "The job of a councillor is to take an interest in their local area. The fact he has accepted money for these two meetings, when there are around one every week, is outrageous."
Opposition Councillor David Owen said; "Cllr Jebson has only appeared at two council meetings since September. He has never been to a full council meeting.
"Councillors are paid for giving up their time, and in this case it amounts to £7,234 in allowances.
"This means he has received more than £3,500 for attending two meetings.
"He should either fulfil his duties as a councillor or resign.
"This is obviously an incredible waste of taxpayer's money, and Cllr Jebson has not offered any reason for why he has not attended."
In the last twelve months, Cllr Jebson has accepted £5,803.56 in basic allowance payments, with a bonus of £604.66, alongside £246 in telephone claims and £580 to pay for his computer needs.
Mr Jebson was quick to defend his actions, saying that despite his low attendance, he was trying his best to balance his council commitments with his day job.
He said; "I do take Cllr Owen's point about the two meetings, I'm not going to argue with that.
"However, as far as I am concerned and as far as Peter Callow (the council leader) is concerned, I'm doing the best I can for the people I serve.
"It's a balancing act between serving the people in the ward, doing very important work, being self-employed in the current economic situation, and being a father of two children."
RED, Merseyside around 2 years, 8 months ago