THERE are two vacancies on Whitehill Town Council following the resignation of councillors David Cooper and Rigby Andrews.

Outgoing mayor Mr Cooper (Whitehill, Hogmoor) stood down from the council last week as he was preparing to undergo a hip operation and felt, with his 80th birthday approaching, that he was “a bit long in the tooth to do a job like this”. Mr Andrews (Whitehill, Deadwater), Whitehill Town Council’s only UKIP member, stood down this week.

“Basically, after quite a lot of internal strife over the appointment of the new clerk, and some Liberal Democrat defections to the Tories after the county council elections, I am leaving an organisation that I always regarded as non political,” Mr Andrews told the Bordon Herald.

“I mistakenly thought we were elected as town councillors to work voluntarily for the town.

“I apologise to the kind voters of Deadwater who put me on the council and shall devote some of my time after retirement from business to voluntary charity work. I know the new clerk and her team will work tirelessly for the good of the town and I wish them all the best.”

The vacancy notices have been published on the council’s website.

If 10 or more residents request an election one would be called and, if not, the council is permitted to fill the vacancies as it chooses, normally through co-option.

But town clerk Andrea Mann said: “The current notice is not asking for applications at this stage.”