A FORMER politician booted off Copeland Council for non-attendance is standing 240 miles away in Herefordshire.

Michael Guest was given his marching orders last month after failing to turn up to a single meeting in six months, but is now hoping to revive his political career in the West Midlands.

Describing himself as “organised” and capable”, Mr Guest has been nominated to stand as an Independent candidate in the district council elections on May 2.

He said he would not comment on the matters relating to Cumbria but confirmed he is standing for the Mortimer ward on Herefordshire Council and Leintwardine group parish council.

When asked, he said attending meetings at Shirehall in Hereford would not be a problem for him, if elected.

“It’s about a 45-minute drive to Hereford from where I am and I go there quite regularly,” he said.

“There are a lot of issues that need attending locally and I’ve been encouraged by local residents to stand.”

He had been elected to serve Kells in Whitehaven as an Independent in 2015 but had been to 10 meetings out of a possible 36 in that time – netting him an average of more than £1,200 in taxpayer-funded allowances for every appearance.

It is understood that Mr Guest moved to Herefordshire several months ago and the nomination papers list his address as Leintwardine, a large village close to the border with Shropshire.

Copeland’s Labour leader Raymond Gill, who has an exemplary attendance record, said: “When you see people who have given a lifetime of public service and then you look at how little he has given, it makes you very angry.”

Conservative leader, David Moore, described the news that Mr Guest is standing elsewhere as “disappointing” for the people of Herefordshire.

He said: “At the end of the day, he let Copeland Council down. He let the electorate down.

“He never represented the people who put their faith in him.

“For four years their voice went unheard due to his poor attendance.

“The people of Hereford need to be aware he will let them down just as he let the people of Whitehaven down.”

Mr Guest, the former town mayor, did not serve on any committees amid claims he could not be relied upon to turn up to them and was only expected to attend the monthly meeting of the full council.

Councillors also said he left the two meetings he attended in 2018 before the halfway point.

Mr Guest was also town councillor for the Kells ward until May when he was removed for the same reason.

A subsequent meeting of the town council descended into chaos and police were called when he refused to move into the public gallery despite no longer being a councillor.

A claim made against Whitehaven town council by Mr Guest over the ownership of two ceremonial medals from his time as mayor was dismissed in 2018.

Due to the close proximity of the next borough council elections on May 2, there will not be a by-election for the vacant seat for the Kells ward.