Councillors told to ‘allez hop’ after moving abroad and not going to meetings

More than 70 have signed a letter calling for married couple Jon and Fabienne Hughes to resign.

At least 70 people are trying to oust two councillors because they are representing a village in Kent while living in France.

Married couple Jon and Fabienne Hughes have both lived in Bearsted, near Maidstone, for more than 20 years.

During that time, they joined the parish council with a focus on the local green space, planning issues, litter and the state of nearby roads.

But the couple have been living in France recently – where Fabienne is originally from and has family.

It is believed they decided to rent their house out after it did not sell fast enough.

The last time they attended a regular council meeting was in January, although they did return to Bearsted for the annual council meeting on April 27.

Legally, a parish council has to hold one big annual meeting and no less than three extra meetings a year.

Some 70 locals have signed a letter sent to the local newspaper the Kent Messenger, asking to get the Hughes removed from the council.

Tony Grieve, a former council member, argued it was ‘quite unreasonable’ for them to continue as representatives.

He said: ‘If they can’t be here, they should resign and make way for new councillors to be elected — that’s democracy.’

Parish clerk Erin Sugden stood up for the couple, insisting there is ‘a lot more to being a parish councillor than just attending meetings’, adding that a ‘lot can be done online and by email’.

Metro.co.uk has contacted the Hughes family for comment.

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