Cr Koschel said he felt "bullied" into stepping down by Crs Vanessa Keenan and Dan Hayes, who publicly criticised his low attendance rates last week.

"[I left because of] the harassment and bullying I received from other councillors in regards to me not being able to attend committee meetings," Cr Koschel said.

"[Keenan and Hayes] are the biggest underminers, the ones who harass and bully people within the chamber. They're two professional wannabe politicians and if they want my committees, they can take them."

Since 2016 Cr Koschel had only attended five floodplain committees, three crime prevention working groups, and zero Southern Joint Regional Planning Panels.

Cr Koschel has already left the Floodplain Risk Management Advisory Committee, quitting when the board rejected his bid to reschedule meeting hours.

He said the current meeting hours made attendance prohibitive for normal nine-to-five workers such as himself, saying they deterred ordinary citizens from running for council in the first place.

Cr Keenan said he should have known what he was getting into when he ran for council, saying everyone else found ways to make room for their council duties.

"I work seven days a week, I run my own business, and I do my best to prioritise. I have family and personal commitments as well - all nine of us do - and at the end of the day it's up to the individual to attend," she said.

Cr Hayes hit back at the suggestion his comments amounted to "bullying", saying that Cr Koschel should be held accountable for his poor attendance record.

"I think people need to take responsibility for their own actions, including whether they attend or not attend meetings," Cr Hayes said.

"It's beyond belief that someone else is being blamed for a councillor's attendance record."

Mayor Greg Conkey said there were committees that were held during lunchtimes and outside of nine-to-five hours in order to accommodate people like Cr Koschel.

"Efforts are made to accommodate committee members, bearing in mind their workload, but it's entirely up to councillors at the beginning of each council term to indicate which committees they're interested in," Cr Conkey said.

Cr Koschel will be standing down from the Southern Regional Planning Panel, Crime Prevention Working Group, Annual Grants Panel, Sporting Hall of Fame Panel, Loans to Community Organisations Steering Committee, and Honours Committee.

Councillors will nominate replacements for Cr Koschel at their meeting on Monday.

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