The Gore soap opera district council saga continues this week with councillor Brett Highsted resigning, the Mayor and CEO still not talking, and the deputy left to keep everything together.

Deputy Mayor Keith Hovell said this morning, he was still digesting Monday afternoon’s news about his colleague, and was “working through the implications of it.”

The Gore District Council announced last night in a press release that Highsted apologised to Cr Hovell in a letter, for commenting to an individual outside of the council before its extraordinary meeting last week, which was held in-committee.

Cr Highsted stressed he had not disclosed any information following the meeting.

The March 28 meeting was called to address issues between Gore district Mayor Ben Bell and council chief executive Stephen Parry.

Although unwilling to share anymore thoughts on the ongoing issue, Deputy Mayor Hovell confirmed the ratification of Cr Richard McPhail as intermediary would be made at the next council meeting.

Highsted has spoken out in the past few months saying that being on council had been stressful – as an experienced councillor he had also been left out of Mayor Bell’s new governance structure.

At the recent in committee, Mayor Bell was removed from the chief executive’s Appraisal Committee, with deputy Mayor Hovell, Richard McPhail, John Gardyne and Bronwyn Reid appointed.

Highsted’s resignation will now trigger a by-election.   Calls and messages to Mayor Bell’s cellphone have gone unanswered.

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