A POTTERS Bar councillor’s poor attendance record for meetings is not cause for concern, according to Hertsmere Council.

It was brought to the Times Series’ attention that Abhishek Sachdev, Conservative councillor for Potters Bar Parkfield, had not attended at least the last three meetings of the audit committee, of which he is vice-chair.

Cllr Sachdev has not attended the meetings because of his work with financial consultancy firm Vedanta Hedging, providing transparency for the dealings of corporate bodies, including local authorities.

He said: “My work with Vedanta is valuable to local authorities nationally as it sets a precedent for transparency and makes sure they are spending their money right.

“This extends to Hertsmere, where the legal precedent my work sets has led to our council spending taxpayers’ money properly, legally and ethically so there is no need to worry about my non-attendence.”

Despite not attending at least three consecutive audit committees because of this work, Hertsmere Council said Cllr Sachdev had not contravened any legislative requirements for attending council meetings.

Council corporate communications manager Cath Shepherd said: “We understand that he will be attending, and chairing, the Audit Committee meeting on September 7.”