A COUNCILLOR who oversaw waste services in St Helens stepped down from his cabinet position just days after being absent from a key council meeting.

Cllr Terry Shields, who was the cabinet member for green, smart and sustainable borough, says he is currently on compassionate leave following the death of his brother.

The former mayor of St Helens was absent from cabinet meeting on Wednesday last week, where members were due to discuss a controversial three-weekly bin collection pilot.

Instead, he attended a networking event in Leamington Spa, where he delivered a motivational speech.

The leader of the council, Cllr Barrie Grunewald, confirmed Cllr Shields has now "stepped down" from the cabinet and said a replacement will be announced shortly.

However, Cllr Grunewald did not give a reason for his cabinet member's departure. It is understood the leader received complaints about Cllr Shields' absence from the cabinet meeting.

An email was sent to councillors from Mike Palin, chief executive of St Helens Council, on Monday afternoon informing them of the change.

Cllr Shields, a ward councillor in Parr, could not be reached for comment after the news emerged on Monday, however, when asked last week about his absence from the cabinet meeting he explained that he was on leave.

He said: “I am off on compassionate leave at this moment in time. I was speaking at the event and meeting my solicitor about my brother as well.

“People are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill [about the motivational talk]. I don’t have to justify anything to anyone if I am off on compassionate leave.”

Cllr Shields told the Star he had agreed to speak at the 'You Can Achieve Anything if You Really Want to' event “months ago” and that it was unpaid.

Graham Todd, who manages 4Networking Leamington Bloody Spa Evening, said: “He was not paid. It is part of 4Networking, which is a membership, networking organisation. All of the speakers do not get paid to speak at it.

“He would have paid to be a member, so effectively he would have paid to speak.”

The discussion on the three-weekly bin collection pilot has been deferred until a later date.