Newly elected Welsh MP steps down as councillor

Emily Price

A newly elected Welsh Member of Parliament will stand down from her county council role after the summer holidays.

Catherine Fookes was elected as MP for Monmouthshire at the recent general election unseating the Tories with a 3,338 majority.

She was elected to represent Monmouth’s Town Ward at the May 2022 local government elections when Labour became the largest party on the county council.

Calls had been made by opposition councillors for her resignation following her win in the general election.

The Welsh Government recently banned Members of the Welsh Parliament from working as Senedd Members and county councillors, but the legislation doesn’t apply to MPs.

The council’s Labour group confirmed last week that Ms Fookes’ committee places were set to be reallocated to other councillors, including her place on Performance and Overview scrutiny committee.

She hadn’t attended the committee since January 2024, having missed the last five meetings.

Salary

On Wednesday (July 17) Ms Fookes confirmed she would step down from her council role after the summer.

The MP said she was no longer drawing a salary for her council role because she had asked Monmouth County Council to stop paying her three days after the general election.

In a statement published to social media, Ms Fookes said: “It’s been an absolute honour to represent Town Ward, but I have always been clear that I would not have two jobs if elected to Parliament, and so, therefore, I will be standing down from the council.

“I’m aware that triggering an election during the summer holidays is not in the best interest of voters, and so I will be standing down in due course.

“On Sunday 7th July I wrote to Monmouth County Council telling them to stop paying me, which they did with immediate effect, and so I am not drawing two salaries.

“I will be working incredibly hard for Monmouthshire to make sure my community has a strong voice in Westminster.”