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Former Chard Mayor and councillor, Tony Prior

WHILE Chard mourns the death of former Mayor Jean Smith, another ex-Mayor of the town has played down suggestions of him making a comeback to local politics.

Chard Town Council was at the centre of a tragic twist of irony on Thursday morning with news of the death of Cllr Smith still to emerge.

Town clerk John Furze announced at around 10.30am that two councillors - Rita Wickenden and Joe Arm-strong - had resigned due to ill health.

But within half an hour that tally of required replacement councillors had risen to three with news of Cllr Smith's sudden death.

As soon as the resignations became known the News was contacted by several people suggesting that ex-Mayor Tony Prior would be interested in making a possible return to the town council.

But Mr Prior, who has only recently been back in the headlines for representing Chard town councillor Aud-rey Spencer at a hearing in front of South Somerset District Council's standards committee, has told the News that, at this moment in time, he would not be standing in any expected by-election.

Mr Prior, who had previously served both town and district councils for 27 years, was disqualified from local government in 2006 for nine months for breaking the council's code of conduct on four counts in his dealings with former town clerk Sally Bing.

Mr Prior, who is still angry at the way in which he was dealt with in his well-publicised case which nearly left him in financial ruin, said: "Why should I seek election to the town council again? Don't you think I've given enough?"

9:33am Wednesday 26th March 2008

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