Waverley Conservative councillor James Staunton is facing criticism after figures published on the Waverley Borough Council website showed he has attended only two meetings since the beginning of the year.

According to those official statistics, Cllr Staunton was expected to attend 16 meetings in 2025. He has been present at just two, giving him an attendance rate of about 12 per cent. He submitted apologies on five occasions, but in total has missed 14 meetings, meaning an absence rate of around 88 per cent.

According to Waverley records, after attending full council on January 23, 2025, his sole appearance was on June 23, when he substituted for another councillor at an Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting.

By contrast, the same public records show that Waverley Lib-Dem leader Cllr Paul Follows attended 29 out of 31 meetings between January and September, giving him an attendance rate of about 94 per cent.

Cllr Staunton, a Conservative elected in 2023 to represent the Western Commons ward with 605 votes, has come under particular fire from opposition members, who said his repeated absences have left a gap in representation.

Cllr Julian Spence, Liberal Democrat member for Hindhead & Beacon Hill, said: “Our elected councillors have a duty to represent their ward or division and the people who live in it. They are meant to provide a bridge between the community and the council and be advocates for local residents.

“And they are expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct and ethics.

“Yet in my ward of Western Commons one of my elected Waverley borough councillors, the Conservative James Staunton, has abjectly failed in this duty.”

Cllr Spence also alleged that Cllr Staunton has not regularly attended parish council meetings in Churt, Frensham, Tilford or Dockenfield.

He said that if a councillor cannot fulfil their duties they should resign.

“In Churt and the surrounding villages we deserve better than this,” Cllr Spence said. “So I am now publicly calling for Cllr Staunton to resign so that we can elect someone who actually cares about our area.”

Cllr Spence said residents deserved representation at borough level, adding that failing to attend the majority of meetings left communities without a voice and was “deeply unfair on the people of Western Commons.”

Some local residents have written to Farnham and Bordon MP Gregory Stafford asking him to intervene, as the most senior Conservative locally.

Cllr Jane Austin, leader of the Conservative opposition at Waverley, said: “Councillor Staunton remains an active councillor and last attended a Waverley meeting on June 23.

“Sadly, the local Lib-Dem opposition are merely trying to stir up trouble.”

Cllr Staunton has been approached for comment.