A councillor being urged to quit after moving to the Isle of Man will still receive more than £3,000 from taxpayers this year.

Tory Richard Falk, who is now living in the Manx capital, Douglas, said it would help pay for his air fares to Worthing.

Liberal Democrat rivals on Worthing Borough Council said Coun Falk, who represents Durrington, should resign after he moved to the middle of the Irish Sea.

But today coun Falk said: "The plan is to continue until April to avoid the considerable expense of a by-election, which isn't the best use of public money.

"They can run into tens of thousands of pounds.

"It is not an ideal situation. But, nowadays, it is less of a problem because of modern communications such as email and mobile phones.

"One thing I cannot do is sit on committees. I do miss doing that. I cannot attend ward surgeries either, which is a little bit of a drawback."

According to council rules, Coun Falk, who formerly lived in Boundary Road, Worthing, has only to attend one meeting in six months to still qualify as a councillor.

Coun Falk, who moved to Douglas on July 28, has resigned from his committees so he no longer has to be at their meetings. He said he would do everything possible to attend the next full council meeting on October 25, a journey which involves a 45-minute flight from Douglas to Gatwick. An economy class return BA flight leaving on October 24 would cost him £41.

He said residents could still contact him and he would try to deal with their queries until he stepped down at next spring's local elections.

Senior Tory colleagues said yesterday they believed Coun Falk was no longer claiming renumeration from the council.

But he told The Argus: "I think the basic allowance is about £3,000 a year and you automatically get paid this. I think it is right councillors are renumerated for what they do.

"Since I was elected, I haven't had a lot of constituents ringing me needing my help. The main thing is the paperwork, keeping abreast of what is going on.

"I don't think it is a badge of honour to be a councillor. It is a job and people should be renumerated for the work they do. The money will cover my expenses getting to and from Worthing."

Coun Falk, a freelance advertising copywriter, said he would not, however, be claiming travel or accommodation allowances.

Coun Bob Smytherman, leader of the borough's Lib Dem opposition, said: "I think he should resign."

Coun Falk said the Isle of Man was a wonderful place to live and he planned to stand as an independent for the Manx Parliament in 2011.