A COUNCILLOR who broke planning rules to make changes to her listed home has been sacked from her post.

Barby Dashwood-Morris has been forced to give up her position on Wealden District Council but not because she was convicted of breaking conservation law.

Instead she has been forced out after failing to attend a committee meeting for six months.

The Conservative former chairwoman of the council planning committee was ordered to pay £115,000 in fines and court costs after making illicit changes to her Grade II listed Hellingly home.

Dashwood-Morris, 70, and her former partner Alan Proudfoot created a grand glass entrance hall caused a “substantial erosion to the historic details” of the 14th century house.

She even allowed TV’s Sarah Beeny to film inside her home as an example of a sympathetic restoration, before her unauthorised alterations came to light as she tried to sell the property.

A spokesman for Wealden District Council said: “A vacancy has arisen in the Chiddingly and East Hoathly ward on Wealden District Council. This is due to the non-attendance of Barby Dashwood-Morris at any council or committee meetings over a successive 6 month period which under Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972 results in the immediate cessation of a councillor being a member of the authority.”

He added that a by-election would be held at a date still to be decided after the June general election.

Dashwood-Morris, who still lives in the Priest House in Church Lane, admitted six counts of making alterations to a listed property without consent and was fined £75,000 and ordered to pay the council’s £80,000 legal costs by Brighton Magistrates’ Court earlier this month.

Her biography on the Wealden Conservatives group’s website describes her as “passionate about affordable housing and sustainable growth”.

Prior to being elected onto the council Dashwood-Morris had trained as an accountant and legal advocate.

Dashwood-Morris had claimed she believed the works did not require listed building consent, but Judge Theresa Szagun sentenced her more harshly because she should have know the rules.

She said: “It is inconceivable that intelligent and intellectual individuals such as these defendants would not have thought that extensive renovations and alterations went well beyond what the statutes allow.

“I’m quite sure both defendants were fully aware of the requirement for consent.

“Her case is further aggravated by the fact that no steps were taken to rectify the situation.”