Nedlands councillor Ben Hodsdon fires parting shot at ‘toxic’ council, triggers mass resignation

Three councillors have quit the City of Nedlands within hours on Monday, sending the council into crisis and sparking calls for the State Government to step in, amid claims it has become “toxic and dysfunctional”. The West Australian first revealed Ben Hodsdon had tendered his resignation on Monday morning, with a stinging letter that declared the council was lacking “strong and sensible” leadership. By 1pm councillors Noel Youngman and Hengameh Amiry had resigned too. “Under the current leadership of the Council and the Administration, I am unable to carry out my core responsibility to represent my Ward, work to manage risk and support the development of strategy at the City of Nedlands,” Ms Amiry said in an email sent to the City of Nedlands chief executive and Minister for Local Government Hannah Beazley. The mass resignation comes six days after a special council meeting was called off because a quorum couldn’t be reached, with only four of the eight councillors in attendance. Mr Hodsdon had a long list of grievances, including Council’s opposition to the Children’s Hospice and adjacent landscaping in Swanbourne, that prompted Planning Minister John Carey to step in to excise part of Allen Park and call for mayor Fiona Argyle to resign. Mr Hodsdon was the second Nedlands councillor to call it quits this year following former councillor Melanie Pollard’s resignation in January after just seven months in her post. The City has been under scrutiny for several months over alleged misconduct and is currently being investigation by the Local Government director-general Lanie Chopping over potential breaches of the Local Government Act. “The constant infighting, lack of productive dialogue, bulling behaviours, weaponising the code of conduct that has been rather vexatious in nature and the unwillingness to address serious concerns have made it impossible to effectively undermined by these ongoing issues,” Mr Hodsdon said. “Open and transparent representation has, in my opinion, fallen short of what the community and I would like to see. “In my opinion over the last four years the council has been more spin than substance. In my opinion, trust in the council is at an all time low. “So enough is enough, and hence I will be leaving the building.” One other councillor has told The West Australian they’re “considering” their position. “The mayor should be condemned. If she had any honour and integrity, she would resign,” Mr Carey said in Parliament, two weeks ago. “Never have I seen a council conduct itself with so little integrity or common sense on such an important project.” Mr Hodsdon said the City missed an opportunity to work with the Cook Government on the project. “The result of this will mean the City will have to spend several million dollars of ratepayers money to get a similar result,” he said. “This makes no sense and this money could have been better spent on improving other assets in the city of progressing underground power.” The City of Nedlands and Ms Argyle have been contacted for comment.