CONTROVERSIAL district councillor Mitch Wicking has resigned just weeks after being given a three-month ban for leaking the pay-off given to former West Somerset Council chief executive Tim Howes.

Mr Wicking blamed council "cliques" and "secret deals" for forcing his hand and said it was not fair for people living in Bicknoller, Sampford Brett and East and West Quantoxhead to continue being without a district councillor.

He said he abhorred the "secret wheeling and dealing behind closed doors" and claimed: "That is still where all the real business is done – the council chamber is just a floor show."

Only last month, Mr Wicking said he felt vindicated for revealing Mr Howes' pay-off details after being handed a minimum three-month ban when he could have been barred from public office for up to five years by the Adjudication Panel for England.

However, he has been absent from council duties since the end of last year after being given a six-month leave of absence on compassionate grounds.

On Wednesday, he said he was sorry to be resigning but believed the right candidate would find the role of being West Quantock's district councillor extremely rewarding.

He said: "I sincerely hope more than one member of the community will step forward to take on the challenge at the forthcoming by-election and provide the people with a real choice.

"The most rewarding aspect of the position is without doubt representing the people and being there to put their point of view across or assist in the difficult and sometimes controversial field of planning."

He said he was still angered by the decision to demolish the old council chamber in Williton and blamed a hidden agenda and a lack of political will.

Mr Wicking said: "The Minehead Old Hospital Group (MOHG) was waiting in the shadows with a similar plan for their building as we had for the old council chamber and a proposal to turn that into a community arts centre which would obviously have rivalled ours.

"As soon as our attempts were dead and buried, the council revealed it was backing the MOHG with support and an initial grant of £2,000 when throughout the ten months we were promoting our proposal we were totally ignored with no mention of the council's support for the MOHG ever being made to us.

"That is the political side of council life and indeed all politics that I will always abhor."

But despite his grievances, Mr Wicking said he still felt honoured to have been elected as a district councillor and thanked everyone who had supported him.

He said: "I would sincerely like to thank all the district councillors who generously and compassionately voted for my leave of absence six months ago and to those members of staff in council admin who have provided assistance when I have needed it.

"I would also like to extend my thanks to all the parish councillors who have helped and supported me over the last two years and also to all the members of the parish community for voting for me on that glorious day in May 2007.

"Above all else, being their representative has been a huge honour and is something I shall remember with pride for many years to come."

Mr Wicking added: "This is going to sound like the Academy Awards, but I would finally like to thank my family too for their support during this hectic and turbulent period in my life and the many last minute lifts they gave me to and from meetings."

At Monday's district council cabinet meeting councillors were told Mr Wicking's decision would leave the council with a £5,109 bill to cover the cost of a by-election in the West Quantock ward.