THE Mayor of a faction-ridden town council has resigned and all other members face calls to go as years of unresolved in-fighting came to a head this week.

In a letter to the Hereford Times, Allan Lloyd, the Mayor of Kington, says his very presence as leader of the council may have been the cause of ongoing division and friction.

“It would be irresponsible not to seriously consider this possibility and, as I have always truly worked for the benefit of the town, I cannot now ignore such a possibility.

“I thus step down from Kington Town Council in the genuine and sincere hope that unity of purpose will be the result,” said Mr Lloyd.

The mayoral resignation throws the future of Kington Town Council – with three members already suspended over a specific allegation – into limbo.

There is already talk of Herefordshire Council invoking new powers that, as interpreted, allow it to intervene in Kington Town Council’s affairs or amalgamate the council with a neighbouring parish, or parishes, for a completely fresh start.

Long-suffering locals say they have lost faith in the council and want all its members out. An online petition against the council is up and running and public meetings to voice voter dissent are planned.

Much now depends on the outcome of the latest investigation into allegations involving the council, which the local standards committee, policing town and parish authorities referred directly to the national body.

Just a year ago, Kington Town Council promised an end to years of in-fighting, allegations and resignations in accepting a series of critical findings made by auditors investigating its accounts.

The resulting report found that, for three years, the council failed to meet its statutory obligations. Members agreed on a need for training and legal guidance on key matters. In 2001, the Audit Commission highlighted a number of failings in the way the council conducted itself. By 2004 the commission said that the divisions between members were so bad that they stopped the council from working properly.

The council’s attitude to procedures, openness, and financial management were also criticised.

A few months later the council put forward a list of changes it wanted to make to meet these criticisms. Among the changes was the adoption of the national Nolan Standard, regulating the way councils are run and setting up a special scrutiny group to examine the way the council worked.

But divisions continued in the council chamber and, on Monday, the Mayor first indicated his intention to step down, confirmed in a statement he sent to the Hereford Times.