GREEN Party councillor Blossom Gottlieb has resigned from Petersfield Town Council, blaming the government’s move away from remote decision making.

Cllr Gottlieb (pictured) was co-opted to the town council in June last year as the member for St Peter’s ward, and then won a by-election last October to become East Hampshire District Council’s first Green Party councillor, representing Horndean.

She will retain her district council seat, but has resigned from the town council, saying: “I have been unable to fulfil the role I was elected for last June, partly due to the inaccessible nature of this work.”

Cllr Gottlieb’s resignation letter continued: “I struggle with several disabilities that are unpredictable. They have progressed severely since my original decision to become a town councillor, and I no longer feel I am able to do this role justice.

“When I assumed the role of councillor, I had no idea remote meetings wouldn’t be an option, as they had been such a useful and beneficial practice during the pandemic.

“We are all aware of the innumerable benefits to be gained from providing flexible meeting options, including opening up local democratic decision making, encouraging more people to be involved in local politics, creating a more accessible experience for councillors, officers and the public, as well as reducing our environmental impact through removing unnecessary travel.”

A recent Local Government Association survey of councils on the impact of returning exclusively to in-person meetings showed 72 per cent of councils saw a drop in councillor attendance, and 73 per cent reported public attendance had also fallen.

“This shows hybrid meetings benefit everyone,” Cllr Gottlieb added.

“Now the legislation allowing virtual meetings has been removed, I am unable to vote or properly contribute when attending meetings virtually.

“I think my position of town councillor is being wasted, my ideas have not been met with enthusiastic plans for fruition as I hoped and, most of all, I would like to step back to let someone else enjoy this role fully.”

Responding on behalf of the town council, the mayor of Petersfield, Cllr Peter Clist, said it was “with some regret” that the council had accepted Cllr Gottlieb’s resignation.

He said: “Blossom was co-opted on to the council in June 2021. At the co-option meeting, she attended in person and impressed with her energy and her command of issues not well covered by the rest of the council.

“She joined as the government withdrew from councils the right to meet remotely: all councils had to meet henceforth face to face. For several reasons we decided to continue with remote and hybrid meetings for as long as we could: it was safer; it used less fuel; more members of the public attended; more councillors could attend (we had a councillor attend from a work trip in Belfast, for instance).

“We introduced a ‘workaround’ whereby we set up ‘advisory groups’, the council committees in all but name.

“The only thing the government rules at the time would not allow was for such advisory groups to have voting powers. Votes were taken on each committee’s results at the next full council, meeting in-person. At best, Blossom attended but a handful of these groups. Those she did attend were often for part of the meeting only.”

Cllr Clist added the council has made great efforts to persuade the government to change its mind on remote meetings, including holding discussions with MP Damian Hinds and writinn to the Department for Levelling Up.

He said: “It is sad her illnesses prevented her contributing her gifts to the work of the council. Every member and officer of Petersfield Town Council wishes her well.”