A scrutiny of meeting records has revealed that one Herefordshire county councillor was absent for the majority of his scheduled commitments in 2025.
Lowest Attendance Record in the County
The review of all 53 county councillors showed that Mark Dykes, the Liberal Democrat representative for Belmont Rural, had the poorest attendance rate. He attended only four out of twelve meetings he was expected at this year, meaning he missed twice as many as he made. His last recorded appearance at a meeting was in July.
Councillor Dykes, who sits on the council's health, care and wellbeing scrutiny committee, was the sole representative with an attendance rate below 50 per cent. When approached for comment on whether ill health or other caring responsibilities were a factor in his absences, he did not respond.
Other Councillors' Performance
The councillor with the second-lowest attendance was independent Weobley representative Nick Mason, a former member of the ruling Conservative cabinet. He attended five out of nine meetings.
In stark contrast, the most punctual attendee was Conservative councillor for Wormside, Richard Thomas. He maintained a perfect 100% attendance record, making it to all 34 meetings across three committees he was scheduled to attend in 2025.
The highest total number of meetings was logged by Conservative councillor for Dinedor Hill, David Davies, who attended 43 out of 46 meetings.
Allowances and Committee Roles
All county councillors in Herefordshire receive a basic annual allowance of £9,394. Additional payments are made for extra responsibilities, though only committee chairs receive an allowance beyond standard attendance expenses. Committee positions are allocated based on the relative strength of political groups within the council, meaning independent councillors do not have an automatic right to sit on committees.
In a separate disclosure, no councillors reported receiving any gifts or hospitality during the year.
