LEDBURY Town Clerk, Karen Mitchell, has handed in her notice and has secured another position with another parish council.

At a full Ledbury Town Council meeting on Thursday March 8, where a vote of thanks for Mrs Mitchell's twenty years of service was approved and taken, some councillors attempted to apportion blame, concerning the clerk's imminent departure.

Cllr Annette Crowe, not mentioning any of the councillors by name said: "I am disappointed that Karen has felt it necessary to resign because of certain councillors who have made her life unbearable for the past four years. I hope you are really pleased with yourselves?"

Some councillors opposed a named vote to agree a vote of thanks for Mrs Mitchell's long service: a vote which Ledbury's mayor, Cllr Elaine Fieldhouse, described as "an act of random kindness".

Cllr Andrew Harrison, said the vote to hold a named vote was "more like spite", and he blamed Cllr Crowe for beginning a process, during her time as mayor, which was "not fair" to either Mrs Mitchell or himself.

Looking directly at Cllr Crowe he said: "I blame you."

At the meeting, Cllr Harrison did not specify the nature of the process he referred to.

Under the named vote, Cllr Harrison voted in favour of the vote of thanks, - a motion which was proposed by Cllr Bob Barnes "for the twenty years plus of dedicated service that the clerk has given to this town, and the professional way she has conducted herself."

All the town councillors present voted for the vote of thanks, under a named vote, except for Cllr Andrew Warmington, Cllr Nick Morris and Cllr Nina Shields, who abstained.

A Judicial Review will take place shortly to look into the processes followed by Ledbury town council in finding two town councillors, Cllr Liz Harvey and Cllr Andrew Harrison, guilty of bullying council staff.

The Judicial Review should have taken place on March 1, in Bristol, but was postponed for a later date, due to bad weather.

Cllr Harvey, but not Cllr Harrison, launched a legal process last year which, if the town council loses the legal battle, could feasibly cost the town council around £140,000.

At the meeting of March 8, Cllr Harrison said the town council expenditure for the Judicial Review was already likely to top, £86,000; but this was not confirmed by further comments or debate during the meeting: at least in public session.

The possible costs could be met by the public purse, or could possibly come from insurance.

The procedures that found Cllr Harvey and Cllr Andrew Harrison guilty of bullying staff were under employment law; but a separate Code of Conduct investigation, by Herefordshire Council, found that neither Cllrs Harvey and Harrison had been in breach of the Code, which covers how councillors must treat others.

Ledbury Town Council did not oppose the granting of permission for a judicial review

Mrs Mitchell did not attend the meeting on March 8, but it was announced by Cllr Fieldhouse that the clerk would leave at the end of the month and was "looking forward to her new job in a neighbouring town council."

The Ledbury Reporter understands that Mrs Mitchell will be working in Bromyard, although this was not confirmed during the meeting.