I AM frankly appalled that West Oxfordshire District Councillor, Steve Hayward, pictured, has moved to Thailand and turned his back on the people he was elected to represent (December 24).

Of course there’s nothing wrong with any person moving to another country to seek a better life but not while they remain the elected representative for the residents of Ducklington.

What is more disturbing is that as an elected councillor he can continue to claim his £362.50 monthly councillor’s allowance.

According to WODC minutes, Cllr Hayward has not attended a council meeting since May 2013 and by his comments to the Oxford Mail it appears he has no intention of taking an active part in the council, or the community of Ducklington, until his council seat becomes vacant in May 2014. For the year he is absent he could have claimed £4,350 in allowances from the public purse.

In his recent new year message, WODC leader, Barry Norton, stated: ‘Local government continues to face extreme financial pressures.’ That being so, as Cllr Hayward was elected as a Conservative candidate and has served as a Conservative councillor for many years, I urge Cllr Norton as leader of the Conservatives on WODC to repay that money to the public purse so it can be better spent on essential public services, rather than to support the lifestyle of an absent councillor in sunny Thailand.

Cllr Hayward may have fallen out with the Conservative Party but it was under the party’s umbrella that he was elected. They must ultimately accept responsibility for his actions and take the honourable course of action and repay the money he has claimed.

DREW CARTER Burford Road Witney