A UKIP councillor has lost his seat on Huntingdonshire District Council after failing to attend mandated meetings for a period of six months.

Ken Churchill, who represented Little Paxton, was relieved of his position on the council on March 30, having not attended any of the eight meetings at the authority at which he was expected.

Mr Churchill maintains, however, that he attended meetings with council officers and on behalf of constituents during the six-month period, and chose not to attend any of the eight mandated meetings because of an ongoing dispute with council officers.

He continued to receive allowances due to councillors during the six-month period. Members claim a basic allowance of £4,235 annually.

Mr Churchill’s Little Paxton seat is due for re-election in May but has he told The Hunts Post that he will not be standing again.

He said: “One of the reasons why I am not standing as Little Paxton’s district councillor and one of the reasons why I got timed out is that I have no confidence in some of the senior officers at Huntingdonshire District Council.

“In life, you don’t have to like the people you work with but you have to respect them and one of the problems is that I don’t have any respect for certain officers at the district council.”

Mr Churchill says his problems with some of the senior officers at the district council started in October last year and concern an issue at Little Paxton Parish Council.

However, aside from his problem with council officers, he also believes that the decision to time him out was driven by the majority Conservative group on the district council.

He added: “I don’t believe in Punch and Judy politics but I think this has had a political aspect to it.”

When approached by The Hunts Post, Huntingdonshire District Council confirmed Mr Churchill was no longer a councillor but declined to comment further.