A councillor has left Helston Town Council this afternoon citing concerns over "openness, transparency" and "use of public money."

Martine Knight became the second councillor to leave in just three weeks, after writing a letter to the town council which was sent to press at mid-day.

In the letter, Mrs Knight announced "with the greatest sadness" that she would be resigning with immediate effect.

She wrote "I was elected on a platform of openness, transparency and the best use of public money. For some months I have been concerned about the direction in which council decisions have been moving, including some earlier decisions (which were made to ensure minimising expenditure of public money) being challenged and overturned.

"I have arrived at the point where my principles mean I can no longer justify being party to actions which I do not believe to be in the best interests of the town and its people.

"I am proud of the things I have accomplished whilst in office, which include new bus shelters, extra seating within the town, a Cornish language policy and proposing two of the three new freemen. I feel I can now offer more to the town by working outside of the Council – for example on the Helston WW1 Heritage Project, a cause dear to my heart.

"I hope that the coming years see Helston’s residents contributing to a diverse range of projects in order to celebrate its uniqueness and its heritage.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who voted for me, all those who have supported me in word or deed and, most importantly, my husband, Chris, who has remained steadfast in his support of me through all circumstances. I have been very grateful for his counsel whilst agonising over this difficult decision."

The announcement follows the resignation of Justine Hornsby at the beginning of September, who left to pursue "other challenges."