A TOWN councillor has hit out at Monmouth’s new mayor after the “shambles” of last week’s council meeting.

Councillor Mat Feakins, who is also a county councillor for the Drybridge ward, believes the council should be ashamed of themselves for the conduct at the town council’s AGM on 15th May.

In a letter to Monmouth’s new mayor, Cllr Felicity Cotton, seen by the Beacon, Cllr Feakins says Cllr Cotton should “publicly apologise” to the town and the office staff on behalf of the town council.

“There are members of the community who are really deeply shocked and saddened by Monday’s events.” he said.

“If all the elected members and the staff had have been aware of the wishes of the Indy group we could have arranged to have our mayor making ceremony on that evening with all other business adjourned for a number of days or even a week. The surprise element was not necessary and very unprofessional, bordering on lunacy.”

Adding that most people believed they voted for independent councillors when voting for Indy Party representatives, Mr Feakins claims some of those voters are now “feeling duped.”

He assured the mayor that other councillors are enthusiastic for change, but warned “change should be managed and discussed and decided on by the entire body.

“Change should not be predetermined and dictated by the Indy party,” he added.

He also reminded the mayor that the council has the facilities in the town hall to discuss change, direction, priorities, their legal responsibilities and aspirations as a corporate body.

“We should not have preconceived ideas or bias when coming into a meeting,” said Cllr Feakins.

Cllr Feakins also urged the council to work together to deliver “a period of significant and positive change for our ward members” and hoped the mayor and the Indy group “consider the views of the full council to adopt a constructive and inclusive path forward”.

When asked to respond Cllr Cotton declined to comment, but Monmouth’s deputy mayor Cllr Kelly Jackson-Graham told the Beacon the party was simply a group of independents with a “common goal”.

“All other political parties are versions of the large national parties and have nothing on their mandate to do anything in Monmouth, whereas our common aims are to be more inclusive and listen to the people of Monmouth - we have no party whip, our decisions are based on comments from the community,” she said.