A COUNCILLOR has been criticised for picking up more than £2,500 in allowances despite attending meetings for a total of just two minutes in the past six months.

Conservative St Paul’s ward councillor Andrew Massey has been lambasted by Tendring Council’s Labour group for continuing to claim his allowance despite showing up for just one meeting as an observer.

Council rules state councillors must attend a meeting once every six months to keep their position.

But Labour has called for a change in the rules so councillors must attend a meeting they are supposed to be taking part in rather than simply as an observer in the public gallery at any committee meeting.

But Mr Massey hit back saying: “Councillors don’t just go to meetings – we do all kinds of things for our residents.

“The reason I haven’t been to so many meetings is that I have been working a lot - sometimes from 6am to 7.30pm.

"I work at a local car body shop and have been promoted to manager after spending the past year training up.

“I get emails from residents all the time and spend a lot of time dealing with their issues, but I do most of the work at the weekends.

“Most councillors are retired, but I think we need a few younger faces and people of working age.”

Garry Calver, deputy leader of the Labour group, claimed Mr Massey complied with the six-month rule by sitting in the public gallery as an observer at a two-minute-long local council tax committee meeting, which meant he was entitled to the £2,586 allowance for that period.

Mr Calver also hit out at Walton independent councillor Laurie Gray and Clacton MP Giles Watling, who is also a Tory councillor for Frinton, for meeting the six-month rule by attending meetings as observers.

“This situation is descending into a farce,” he said.

“These councillors are undermining the public’s respect for the hard-working councillors in all parties who put in the hours and attend all of the meetings.”

Mr Watling said he gave up his position as the council’s cabinet member for regeneration when he was elected to Parliament last year.

“However, as a backbencher in the council I believe I have been able to continue to work effectively – especially with my co-ward member Nick Turner,” he said.

“A great deal of a councillor’s work can be carried out remotely.

“I have regular meetings with Mr Turner where we cover ward issues and I have almost weekly meetings with senior officers of the council.”

Mr Watling said he will step down from the council at next year’s local elections.

“Calling a by-election would in my view be an unwanted, expensive and unproductive exercise for the residents of Frinton,” he added.

Mr Gray claimed the Labour group was “behaving like lap dogs” to the Conservatives while he has campaigned on behalf of his residents against unwanted homes and the closure of Kirby recycling centre.

He added: “I would like to challenge all the councillors to do the job for the honour of serving the people that voted for them and save the taxpayer half a million pounds a year.”

He said that because he is an independent he can only to sit on one committee.

When he did turn up late for the local council tax committee on February 21 it had already ended.