A TOWN councillor has announced her resignation from the authority, making her the fourth person to depart the council in as many months.

Councillor Victoria Harber revealed her decision at December’s full council meeting, with the town council clerk confirming the news with a “notice of casual vacancy” issued on December 17, last year.

The local authority has seen four of the 16 councillors elected in May leave, following the resignation of Andy Fitchet in September and the departures of Dorothy Day and Peter Scott in November for failing to attend a single meeting.

Cllr Harber cited the behaviour of Cllrs David Coole and Christopher Ecclestone, including conduct on social media which she says has caused “harm” to her and her family, as a key factor in her decision.

“I don’t want to work with them,” she said. “I’m better used working as a borough councillor rather than the playground that seems to be the town council at the moment.

“There’s better ways of me trying to fulfil my ideologies. We got into this with a vision, I thought, in May and it became obvious very quickly that there wasn’t one vision. It was very much different.”

Her comment echo those of ex-Cllr Fitchet, who announced last September he would be leaving the authority on October 1, citing frustrations with “blockers” within the authority who have “decided to make it their job to stop progress at any cost”.

Addressing the comments relating to social media conduct, Cllr Ecclestone said: “All the stuff on social media ended two or three months ago, so I don’t really know what she’s talking about.”

“Me think the lady doth protest too much,” he added.

Former town Cllr Harber has confirmed that she will be continuing in her role as a Test Valley Borough Councillor.

And she also stressed that despite her town council resignation, she is still “firmly behind” the leader of the Andover Alliance, and Andover town mayor, Cllr Richard Rowles.

“I’m still firmly behind Richard Rowles,” she added. “I still have faith and trust in him.”

Cllr Rowles has been contacted for a comment regarding the council’s latest departure.

Ex-Cllr Harber was elected to the town council in May 2019 and was vice chairman of the budgets and staffing committee.

Following her resignation, a by-election to fill the vacancy will be held if ten electors for the parish ward give notice in writing, claiming such an election be held, to the Returning Officer. If no such notice is given the Parish Council will fill the vacancy by co-option. The deadline for ten electors to give notice was yesterday, when the Advertiser when to print.