A TOWN clerk has resigned after a decision was made to exclude the public and press from a meeting.

The decision to hold a private session was made against the advice of Conwy Town Council clerk, Natasha Flint, as there was nothing on the agenda which constituted ‘confidential business’.

Mrs Flint, who is legally qualified joined the Town Council in 2018, has since tended her resignation to the authority.

She told the Pioneer: “The council has had a letter of resignation from me.

“Until this letter has been accepted by the full Council, I have no comment to make.”

The council’s civic committee went into a private session on Monday March 22, despite advice from the town clerk not to do this because there was nothing on the agenda which constituted confidential business.

It therefore should have remained a public meeting.

Nevertheless, the meeting disregarded the town clerk’s professional advice.

The civic committee is responsible for the mayoral calendar and deciding what civic events the council will participate in and give support to.

The effect of the committee’s decision was to exclude the public and press from the meeting.

Mayor of Conwy, Cllr Emma Leighton-Jones said: “While I am not at liberty to go into detail as further meetings will be occurring, I would like to say how saddened I am at the latest turn of events.”

The mayor’s role includes acting as chairman of the council.

Cllr Leighton-Jones added: “Conwy Town Council has always been an active part of the community valuing the contributions made by all cllrs to serve the community effectively.

“It has always been a pleasant team to be part of, well motivated with a solid ethos of community service. “While it has been a bumpy road, I disagree with some of the claims made anonymously on social media. However, we do need to find a way forward and work together and as Mayor I very much hope we can do more this more constructively than current reports suggest.”

The council has experienced controversy in the past. In December 2020 the Pioneer reported two members had been suspended for breaches of its code of conduct.