Labour councillor Mary Temperton declined the opportunity to sit on the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority (RBFA), it has been announced.

Under usual rules, the council would be forced to balance the seats on any committee, including the RBFA, in order to reflects the political makeup of the council.

However, three Tory councillors are now set to be appointed on the authority after those rules were waived because Cllr Temperton turned down the seat she was offered.

Speaking to the News, Councillor Mary Temperton said: “I am the only opposition member on the Council. I already sit on more than five committees and I am on several working groups.

“I also have a lot of case work, especially around housing issues. I attend the executive meetings as an observer and the new town regeneration meetings, as an observer.

“I attend the performance reviews of the directors and the interviewing panels for senior officers.

“I am a very active local councillor and also a school governor.

“If I was to be on the essential Royal Berkshire Fire Authority, I would again give it my full commitment.

“This would involve many more hours of meetings and activities.

“I always want to give my all, and this was a step too far.

“I have not been invited onto it before and am fully committed to my other panels and committees.

“If I could find more hours in the day, I would have accepted.”

Councillors Colin Dudley, Iain McCracken and Tina McKenzie-Boyle are all set to be the council’s representatives at the RBFA until May 2019.

However if proposals are voted against, Cllr Temperton would have to take a seat on the authority and the council would decide which of the three Conservative councillors would not serve as a representative.

Councillors serving on the authority help the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service to produce “important safety, health and wellbeing outcomes, associated with local government priorities and NHS priorities”.

The proposals are set to be agreed at a meeting of the council on Wednesday, July 11.