LIB Dem members at Swindon Council have denied accusations they let down voters when they missed more than 30 per cent of meetings in the last year.

Official statistics for the four councillors show the group’s average attendance was 67 per cent between May 18, 2012 – the start of the 2012/13 civic year – and yesterday, while the overall rate for just the three Eastcott councillors was 57 per cent.

The four were expected to turn up 103 times to committees and full council, but only showed 69 times. This compares with the Labour’s group’s average of 92 per cent and the Conservative Group’s average attendance of 88 per cent.

Councillors are paid an automatic allowance of £7,710 to help with their council work, which includes attending meetings, and most councillors are present at around 82 to 95 per cent of meetings at which they are expected to take part.

In 2012/13, Coun Stan Pajak (Eastcott) scored 93 per cent, and Coun Ann Richards (Wroughton and Wichelstowe) hit 96 per cent, but Coun Dave Wood (Eastcott) only managed 56 per cent and Coun Nicky Sewell only 41 per cent, although she was unwell for some months.

In 2011/12, Coun Pajak’s attendance was 65 per cent, Coun Wood’s was 80 per cent and Coun Sewell’s was 71 per cent; while in 2010/11, Coun Pajak’s was 72 per cent, Coun Wood’s was 72 per cent – Coun Richards was elected in May 2012 for the first time. after the Wroughton and Wichelstowe ward was created, and Coun Sewell was not a councillor.

Coun Jim Grant, the leader of the Labour group, which campaigned heavily in Eastcott in 2012, said: “I think Eastcott residents will be appalled to find their councillors have such a low attendance record and I think they are being under represented.

“If they had a 57 per cent average attendance in their day jobs, frankly their management wouldn’t put up with it. Why should they be treated any differently as local councillors?

“They get paid an allowance to attend meetings to represent their local residents and nearly half of the meetings they’re expected to attend, they don’t.

“I have seen first-hand at full council meetings where if all of the Lib Dems had attended they may have been able to achieve meaningful outcomes.”

Coun Pajak, the Lib Dem group leader, rejected the claims and the comparison with a paid job.

He said the functions of a good councillor were way beyond attendance at meetings, and said Lib Dem councillors worked hard to deal with residents’ issues and keep them informed.

Coun Pajak said the basic allowance was spent on producing a news leaflet.

He said there was no whipping, but Lib Dems made an effort to attend if it was an important meeting, such as full council or cabinet.

He said: “We have been to the meetings and we know what they do isn’t relevant, useful, in any shape or form.

“And being a small party with a small membership, we do struggle more for substitutes than any larger party with lots of substitutes. And what they’re saying is there needs to be more Lib Dems on the council and I totally agree with them.”

Coun Wood said he was unable to continue to attend scrutiny committee, about three months after joining, because he took a new job as the Lib Dem campaign manager for Wiltshire, so could not attend on Mondays. He said the committee’s chairman would not accept his resignation, which affected his attendance figure.

Coun David Renard, the council leader, said attendance in excess of 80 per cent was a minimum standard, but agreed attendance was not the only aspect of being a councillor.