Former mayor removed from Dunstable council for not attending meetings - despite being signed off sick
A Dunstable councillor who had been signed off work by a doctor will be taken off the town’s council after not attending meetings for more than six months.
Cllr Louise O’Riordan, who currently represents Dunstable East, last attended a council meeting on August 18, 2025.
A fit note from a doctor, seen by the Luton News, stated the councillor is “not fit for work”, and signed her off until May.
At Dunstable Town Council’s first full council meeting of 2026, she asked for her non-attendance period to be extended past the statutory six months, citing ongoing ill health.
Before voting, Cllr Kenson Gurney said: “I am personally minded to forgive Cllr O’Riordan… I have formed the view that she is unwell in some ways, and my own personal feeling is that unwell people should be supported, at least for a period of time that’s reasonable for them to recover. If others feel contrary, I totally understand that.”
But Cllr John Gurney said: “Councillor O’Riordan has repeatedly stated on her councillor Facebook page what she thinks the role of a councillor is, but crucially, she has missed the most important requirement, which is to attend council meetings in order to contribute to this discussion of each item and help make decisions that affect Dunstable and all the people living here.
“Tonight is the most important, most crucial meeting of the year, when the full council agrees the precept for the forthcoming year’s budget."
He claimed that she had failed to present evidence to support her allegations of bullying and said the former town mayor had “systematically boycotted council meetings, to the detriment of this council and the residents she is supposed to represent”.
After a vote, the council agreed not to extend her leave, and she will no longer represent the town after February 18.
Cllr Louise O’Riordan claimed: “[I was] signed off by a doctor. Submitted to the town clerk and the monitoring officer last year. Signed off till May 2026. I am disabled and the Equality Act wasn’t considered. It should have been.”
A council spokesperson said: "Under Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972, if a councillor does not attend any meeting of the council for a period of six consecutive months, they automatically cease to be a councillor, unless the council has approved their absence before the expiry of that period.
"Councillor O’Riordan last attended a meeting on 18th August 2025. A request was made for the Council to approve her continued absence. Following a vote by councillors present, the council did not approve the request.
“As a result, Councillor O’Riordan will cease to hold office from 18th February 2026.”
Following the meeting, Councillor O’Riordan posted a video to her social media saying she was stepping away from local politics and 'could do more [for the community] without the councillor role'.