THE MAN who became the British National Party’s first councillor in South Wales when he took a seat on Llandybie community council has been shown the door by colleagues.

Kevin Edwards, who had represented Penygroes since May 2008, was last week disqualified from holding the post of councillor having failed to attend meetings for the past six months.

Explaining the authority’s action in a letter to Cllr Edwards, community clerk Megan Bevan told him he was welcome to attend future meetings as a member of the public.

But Mr Edwards – who quit the extreme right-wing party in February 2011 and is now Wales Co-ordinator of the Britain First Campaign Group – told the Guardian he had tendered his resignation from the authority back in January.

“I had been sending my apologies to Megan for a few months, explaining that increased work commitments were taking me away from home more often,” he said.

“Coupled with the fact that the Emlyn Development, which I was firmly behind, continued to be going nowhere and my increased work for the Justice 4 Linda Lewis Campaign was taking up a lot of my time, I felt it best to leave as the current administration has very little time to run anyway.

“With only a couple of months before new elections take place, I find it a strange and very petty decision for the community council to take – anyway, such is life.”

Mr Edwards, who moved out of Penygroes following the breakdown of his marriage, is now understood to be living in Llansamlet.

Ms Bevan said: “I was not made aware that Mr Edwards had resigned from the council.”