Sandwich town councillor Charles Miller has sensationally resigned following a disagreement over proposed new traffic measures in Sandwich.

Cllr Miller walked out of the full council meeting at the Guildhall on Monday evening after he was outvoted on his proposal to stall progress while the impact of the changes was investigated.

He said: “I will not inconvenience you any longer. You will have my letter of resignation in the morning.”

Following the council’s decision on November 30 last year, members were asked to confirm their consent for Kent County Council to use allocated Section 106 money to investigate and potentially install traffic calming measures in New Street, High Street, Moat Sole and Strand Street.

“Once the money is spent, it’s spent. Do you want to take a gamble?" - Cllr Miller

Cllr Miller suggested amending the wording to include understanding the impact of the changes.

He said: “Here we’re saying we want to speed ahead without being aware of the consequences. We need proper modelling before a proper decision can be made.

“Once the money is spent, it’s spent. Do you want to take a gamble?

“If the evidence isn’t there, don’t act. It’s the duty of a responsible scheme promoter.”

Cllr Miller said he knew some may say the scheme was at a critical stage but there was a good chance of getting it through KCC if members had “done their prep”.

Initially councillors claimed they were confused and thought the proposal was too much to digest, suggesting a separate meeting should be held on the matter before the end of the week.

However, Cllr MJ Holloway who initially supported the idea of an extra meeting, said: “We’ve gone over this. We’ve got a proposal and I would support the first recommendation.

“It would be a retrograde step. Many residents want to see action. They don’t want to see more conversation and discussion.”

Councillors passed the recommendation, to which Cllr Miller stood up and left.

Strand Street resident Richard Linning had also raised the issue during the public’s right to speak.

He said: “Many of you support the proposal to appoint a consultant because for the first time there is real movement thanks to the work that has been done. But if that movement is not exactly in the right direction then £45,000 is an expensive ticket to ride, without any possible refund.”

Town clerk Laura Fidler received Cllr Miller’s letter of resignation on Tuesday afternoon.

Mayor Paul Graeme said: “Cllr Miller has been on the council since May last year and in that time he has put in an immense amount of hard work in all areas and particularly in traffic with signage in the town.

“It’s been a privilege to have him as a councillor and I thank him for all his hard work and contribution to the town. I regret his decision that he has resigned.”

Miss Fidler will now notify Democratic Services at DDC who will instigate the procedure for filling a casual vacancy.