All Eyes On Gore District Mayor Ben Bell

Aimee Wilson

May 12, 2023 - 1 min read

Gore district councillors will ask for ministerial intervention and try and pass a vote of no confidence to remove Ben Bell as Mayor on Tuesday morning.

Deputy Mayor Keith Hovell and intermediary Cr Richard McPhail met with the Mayor on Wednesday, and asked him to resign, but he refused. Seven out of 10 councillors supported him resigning.

It is understood that the only way a Mayor can be removed from council, is if they commit a crime that is jailable for two years, is infirm and unable to carry out their duties (subject to a court order), and when the Minister of Internal Affairs intervenes and the whole council is thrown out.

Councillors will vote at an extraordinary meeting before the main council meeting, and a memo from the chief executive Steve Parry has also asked that a letter be written to the Minister requesting a meeting to discuss intervention measures.

Cr Hovell had his phone turned off earlier today, and Bell has never responded to our media requests, but the decision from councillors has only been made in recent weeks.