NEWLY elected MP for Ogmore Chris Elmore has announced that he will not be standing down from his position on the Vale of Glamorgan council.

The Labour councillor, who won the Ogmore seat in last week's by-election, has said that he will be resigning from his position as cabinet member for children’s services, but will continue to represent the Castleland ward on the local authority.

The decision has been criticised by other members of the council, with indepedent Sully member Kevin Mahoney calling it "ludicrous".

Speaking at a meeting of the Vale's cabinet council leader praised cllr Elmore's “phenomenal” work referring to him as a “stalwart” of the council.

A spokesman for the council confirmed that cllr Elmore's position in Parliament "does not affect his eligibility to serve as a member of the Vale of Glamorgan council”.

Cllr Elmore confirmed he would not take his councillor basic allowance, but would “continue to represent the residents of Castleland” and had been doing so this week.

Independent councillors Kevin Mahoney (Sully) and Richard Bertin (Court) have both been critical of the decision.

Cllr Mahoney said that he believed cllr Elmore would not be able to adequately represent the residents of his ward and the Vale with his Ogmore and London base.

“I’m surprised he didn’t step down when he was campaigning in Ogmore," he added. "How can he live and work in Ogmore and Westminster and try to represent a ward in the Vale? Quite frankly, it’s ludicrous.”

Cllr Bertin added: “How can you commit your time to London and Ogmore when you are also a representative of a town quite some distance away?

"When he stood for the Vale he said he was 100 per cent committed to Barry, when in fact he is just another career politician who it seems puts party before people.

"He should now do the honourable thing and stand down as a councillor to allow somebody to represent Castleland ward fully and not part time.”