Councillor ousted after missing months of meetings

A councillor on the Isle of Man has been removed after he missed three months of meetings.

Frank Schuengel was elected to Douglas City Council in July 2021.

In a statement, the authority explained that Tynwald legislation dictates a membership is "automatically revoked if they fail to attend three consecutive months of meetings".

Schuengel said he was "disappointed" and apologised to the people of Douglas who he said he had "let down".

He said he was aware of the three-month stipulation but had to put his "livelihood first" and concentrate on other work "to pay the rent".

Schuengel called for the authority to update its policies to enable remote attendance to meetings, which would have allowed him to take part.

However, he took issue with the manner his removal was carried out.

"This is not a decision that was made overnight [and] nobody ever contacted me," he said.

His membership removal was effective from Thursday.

The councillor said he loved Douglas and the wider island "deeply" and did not rule out returning to politics in the future.

He also praised the work of the council and those working on the "frontline", adding: "There's a lot of hardworking people there."

A council spokesman thanked Schuengel "for his contribution".

During a council assembly on Wednesday members expressed their appreciation for his service and wished him well for the future, he added.

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