A COUNCILLOR who served Caldicot Town Council for almost a decade is leaving her post after failing to attend a council meeting for six months.

Former mayor of Caldicot and Plaid Cymru councillor Joanne Daniels has been disqualified from her role representing the town's Severn ward, prompting a by-election for the vacancy on May 20.

But Ms Daniels, who was mayor of Caldicot between 2006 and 2007, told the Argus she made a "conscious decision" to allow the time when she would be disqualified due to low attendance to pass, because work commitments meant she could no longer represent the people of Caldicot fully.

Ms Daniels, who works as an international training consultant, said: “My work commitments were taking me further and further away, and I thought it was unfair on the people of Caldicot that I could not represent them in the way I had before.”

She added that it had been “an absolute honour” to serve as a councillor for more than nine years.

Two candidates will fight for the now vacant Severn seat.

David Gale, of Longcroft Road, Caldicot, will try to hold the seat for Plaid Cymru.

Mr Gale, 66, was born and brought up in Caldicot.

He has never stood as a councillor before, but said he had always taken a keen interest in local politics.

He will be standing against Labour party candidate Alun Lloyd, 41, of Castle Lea in Caldicot, who has lived in the town for 30 years.

Mr Lloyd, whose wife Vicki is also a councillor, said he had been a Labour party member for a number of years but felt he now wanted to get more involved in the local community.

A polling station at Durand Primary School will be open between 7am and 10pm on Thursday May 20.