An election is to be held for a Ward Councillor for the Ross-on-Wye East Ward at a cost of over £3,000.

The election will be held on June 14th and there will be three polling stations. Councillor Richard Mayo said that the cost to the taxpayers of Ross for a new councillor would be £300 a meeting.

He said: “They will only have to attend ten meetings so the cost will be £300 a meeting. If we use polling cards it will go up to £600 a meeting.”

Cllr Mayo said: “Four elections during the term of this council have cost over £10,000. Some people have stood and then decided, for whatever reason, it is not for them, we should have gone along the co-option route.”

Councillor Julian Utting asked: “What price is democracy? If the electorate wished there to be an election then it should go ahead.”

Councillor Phil Cutter suggested that instead of spending £3,000 on polling cards, there could be more advertising in local newspapers. Then people could not say they did not know about it. However, he said a wining candidate these days is lucky to get 300 votes.

Councillor Nigel Gibbs thanked the Ross Gazette for the publicity they gave to all elections through the newspaper.

Councillor Mayo said the answer would have been not to call the election or contest it.

The Clerk for Ross Town Council told the Ross Gazette that she had not been officially informed who had called for the election.