A Tenby town councillor has resigned from her position with immediate effect, claiming she can no longer continue ‘banging her head against a brick wall’.

In her letter of resignation, Trisha Putwain, who has served on the council for the past seven years, stated:

“When I stood for election in 2008 I believed I might be able to make a difference, but this has not been the case. I estimate that 10 of my proposals have gone through in this time; I have not even managed to have a single sitting-out shelter roofed over.

“The council’s ethos seems to be to look always for something that will make money for Tenby and bring tourists in, rather than what might be appreciated by the residents. Thus projects are imposed, instead of growing organically from the grass roots (as, for instance, the Narberth Children’s Festival blossomed into and flourished as the West Wales Children’s Festival for many years).

“Anyone who has the temerity to want to put quality of life before the pursuit of the almighty dollar is practically vilified and accused of treason against the twin gods of tourism and ‘progress’.

“In some ways none of this really matters, as communication between the town and county councils appears to me to be minimal, with the requests and views of the town council rarely heeded or acted upon.

“Tenby’s Council Tax local precept is the highest in the county, with a Band D property paying £58.42 this year. It is the only one above £50, and there are only six other communities charging more than £40 in this band. The fact that we have not had a contested election for seven years shows the general apathy afforded the town council.

“In these days of austerity we should be questioning whether the expense can be justified for an anachronistic, bureaucracy-laden body such as this, or whether we should ditch most of the trimmings and operate as a lower-key community council more in tune with the people who live in the town.

“I should like to thank the electors who voted for me in 2008, and apologise to them for no longer feeling able to bang my head against the brick wall of the general council mentality.”