DARTMOUTH has been dragged into yet another council row as one disillusioned councillor handed in his resignation.

Chartered surveyor Bill Wills (pictured) declared he was quitting immediately after the last town council meeting.

In a statement after the meeting, Mr Wills said: "I am not prepared to waste my time and money just to act as an unpaid lackey and scapegoat serving our masters at district and county."

He said he was pessimistic about the future direction of the council which is why he decided to resign.

Over the last few years Dartmouth Town Council has been embroiled in a series of internal rows involving a whole raft of complaints to the standards board.

They culminated in an adjudication panel hearing last year in which Dartmouth town councillor of eight years, Brian Boughton, was thrown off the council.

Mr Wills was elected to the town council at the beginning of 2008 and has been one of the driving forces behind the town's ambitious multi-million-pound indoor swimming pool plans.

He said his decision to quit had been prompted by his belief that, for the last 40 years, the town council has been unable to decide its own destiny because all its powers have been handed to the district and county councils.

He added: "I have become bored hearing it repeatedly dragged out that problems caused by others like the Cllr Boughton affair have held back the council.

"This problem area could have been avoided at inception by positive and strong leadership which we have not seen for many years."

Mayor-elect Richard Rendle, who served for five years as mayor of Dartmouth at the beginning of the decade, said he accepted small local authorities like Dartmouth 'struggle' with achieving the community's aspirations.

But he added: "When people join the council they need to understand the limitations."

He said Mr Wills had worked 'tremendously hard' on projects like the town swimming pool scheme.

"He passionately believes it is achievable and for that you have got to give him great credit."