Hadleigh councillor Brian Riley moved to Raleigh in North Carolina at Easter 2015 – and has attended three meetings of the full council since last summer, missing two of the last three.
He was elected as a Conservative county councillor in 2013, replacing Liberal Democrat David Grutchfield, who stood down from the authority after 24 years.
When he moved to the US, Mr Riley said he would return every six or seven weeks and would still be able to carry out council work using email and Skype.
But Lib Dem group leader David Wood said: “What he [Mr Riley] is doing is not right. He should stand down. How can you represent Hadleigh from the other side of the Atlantic?
“He says it is about strategic decisions, but what do people do if they have a problem with potholes or getting social care?
“David [Grutchfield] was always out and about in the town, always helping people with their problems. We’ve had Mr Hadleigh replaced by a roving ambassador who fits in meetings when he comes back to this country for a few days.”
Mr Riley ceased to be a member of any of the authority’s committees after being thrown out of the Conservative group. He now sits as an independent.
But he still claims the basic allowance of £10,273, which he is legally entitled to do as long as he attends at least one meeting every six months. He has not claimed any expenses on top of this.
The only councillors who have attended as few meetings since last July are two members who have had long-term health problems over the last year.
When it was revealed Mr Riley was planning to emigrate last year, he came under pressure to stand down from the group leadership – but he firmly rejected those calls.
Councillors have to live in the authority they wish to sit on when they stand for election, but they can see out their term of office if they move away once elected.
South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge has brought up the issue during discussions with local government minister Mark Francois.
He was told that situations like that involving Mr Riley were comparatively rare and it was not worth investing government time on introducing primary legislation to outlaw it.
However, Mr Cartlidge said it might be possible to persuade ministers to introduce a clause outlawing councillors living abroad full-time the next time changes to local government were debated in the Commons.
County council leader Colin Noble said there was nothing that could be done about the situation.
He said: “Though elected as a Conservative his membership was removed following his decision to move abroad. UK law has rules which govern members’ attendance and as far as I am aware Mr Riley is not in breach of these.
“Of course we encourage all members to attend as many meetings as they can but unless they are part of a political group it is down to an individual to manage their own commitments.”
Mr Riley will be unable to stand in Hadleigh again next year and the town’s Conservative Association is in the process of choosing a new candidate.
We asked Mr Riley for a comment from his home in Raleigh, but he said he would respond at a later date because he did not want to give a “knee-jerk” reaction.
He said: “I promise to come back to you by mid April with a full account of my activities on behalf of the people of Hadleigh.”
Published in the EADT.