By Laura Michell
Former Whittlesea councillor Ricky Kirkham was due to face a councillor conduct panel prior to his resignation from council on Monday night.
Acting Chief Municipal Inspector John Lynch has confirmed to Star Weekly that the Local Government Inspectorate had made an application for a panel hearing involving Mr Kirkham.
The circumstances surrounding the Inspectorate’s application is unknown.
“The Chief Municipal Inspector had previously applied for a councillor conduct panel to make a finding of serious misconduct against Mr Kirkham, pursuant to section 81B(1B)(c) of the Local Government Act 1989,” Mr Lynch said.
“As Mr Kirkham has now resigned, this process will be discontinued.
“The Inspectorate will be making no further comment in relation to this matter.”
Mr Kirkham sensationally resigned from the council on Monday night, saying he had lost confidence in the council.
In a Facebook post, Mr Kirkham said the current circumstances at council had made it “impossible” for him to discharge his obligations “to hold council accountable”.
“For five months, I have raised serious concerns about council’s failure to manage major contracts such as our parks, gardens and open space,” he said.
“This situation has led to me to determine, that despite my best efforts, I can no longer in good conscious continue in this role.
“In this environment, I am unable to provide the level of representation and accountability I believe [residents] deserve.
“Over the past three years, I have been disappointed to witness council lose focus on quality outcomes that benefit the lives of our residents.”
Mr Kirkham, who was first elected to council in October 2012, has served as mayor twice, most recently in 2016-17.
Mr Kirkham has been contacted for comment.
