Gore District Council is planning a vote on whether to remove Mayor Ben Bell on Tuesday. Photo: Facebook / Ben Bell
Most of Gore's councillors met with Department of Internal Affairs officials yesterday, but the mayor and one of his staunchest allies weren't there.
New Zealand's youngest ever mayor is being called on to resign by the majority of his council.
RNZ revealed in March that Gore Mayor Ben Bell and the council's chief executive Stephen Parry were no longer speaking.
The council last month voted to undertake an independent review to restore confidence in the council and appointed councillor Richard McPhail to act as a go-between for Bell and Parry.
But earlier this week McPhail and deputy mayor Keith Hovell met with Bell to call on him to resign, and yesterday the pair invited the majority of councillors to meet with Department of Internal Affairs officials.
However, RNZ understands McPhail and Hovell did not invite Bell or his fellow Team Hokonui councillor Robert McKenzie to the meeting.
Councillors either did not answer calls from RNZ or offered no comment when contacted today.
"I'm not issuing any other statements until the Tuesday meeting," Hovell said, when contacted by RNZ this afternoon.
"Questions that are posed to me by people like yourself are going on the list and I will address them when I speak on Tuesday."
Hovell would not answer questions about yesterday's meeting with DIA, why Bell and McKenzie were not invited, or what actions by the mayor had led him to call for his resignation earlier this week.
At an extraordinary meeting of the council scheduled for Tuesday, they will vote on a motion of no confidence in the mayor, a call for a meeting with the Local Government Minister to discuss intervention, and to remove the mayor from all council committees.