A council has legally dismissed one of its members after he failed to attend a meeting for six months.

Craig McBeth, who was a member of Trawden Forest Parish Council near Colne, was absent from council meetings for half of 2020 and during that time did not uphold his duties as a councillor.

Mr McBeth admitted this to the council and was officially dismissed in October.

Despite this, he felt his dismissal was handled in error and has subsequently spent the last few months trying to be reinstated, including serving the council with an application for judicial review, which was later dismissed.

A spokesperson for Trawden Forest Parish Council said: “After a period of six months of unauthorised absence, Craig McBeth legally ceased to be a member of Trawden Forest Parish Council in October 2020.

“Although he admitted to the Parish Council that he had this unauthorised absence and did not uphold his duties as a councillor, he felt that he should not have been removed from the council, and as such, has spent the last few months trying to be reinstated.

“At a meeting in December, he gave the Parish Council the option to either reinstate him or he would seek to serve the council with a judicial review.

“The clerk consulted with councillors who unanimously agreed that he should not be reinstated.

“He served the council with an application for judicial review in early January 2021.

“All documents were sent to defend the position of the council via our solicitor to the court, and on February 8 2021, we received notification that his application had been dismissed in favour of the Parish Council and that we legally have dismissed him."

Mr McBeth said he will be appealing the decision.