Four councillors have resigned from Glynneath Town Council in just over a week – and the clerk’s last day was on Friday.
Town councillors Marion Morgan, Lowri Francis and Helen Williams – the deputy mayor – all stepped down at a town council meeting on Tuesday, July 16.
It comes after Cllr Tony Pritchard stood down on July 9 due to ill-health.
It is understood the three Plaid Cymru councillors who resigned on Tuesday did so due to negative campaigns and bullying on social media.
On Facebook Cllr Morgan thanked the residents of Glynneath saying it had been a privilege to serve them but she had made the “very difficult decision” to resign from office with immediate effect.
Cllr Williams also posted a statement on Facebook thanking and apologising to those voters who had supported her, saying she felt she had no option but to resign due to “continued negativity, harassment and bad feeling”.
Town mayor Simon Knoyle who previously paid tribute to Cllr Pritchard’s contribution and long service to the council and the community of Glynneath said he was disappointed to have lost a further three “excellent councillors”.
He said: “In light of what I was trying to do in bringing the town council and community together I’m very disappointed that three councillors have felt they had to resign due to the reasons they have given.”
The town council has come in for strong criticism following a Wales Audit Office report on its audit of accounts for 2015-16 and 2016-17 which highlighted its failings in governance arrangements and financial management.
With the four resignations, the town council now has six independent councillors, two Plaid Cymru and two Labour councillors.
The four vacant positions are expected to be advertised in due course with the possibility of a by-election if more than four people come forward.
Cllr Williams declined to comment.
Councillors Morgan and Francis have been approached for comment.
