LABOUR members are urging Middlewich Town Council to reveal if it has ‘anything to hide’ after Monday night’s meeting ‘descended into chaos’.

Town mayor Cllr Bill Walmsley, Middlewich First, ended Monday night’s meeting after a five-minute exchange of words between councillors and a member of the public during the open forum.

Now, a fierce row has broken out between the town council’s two political groups, with Labour calling for an independent investigation.

In a statement, the group said: “At the town council meeting on Monday, the whole meeting descended into chaos after the mayor refused to let a resident ask a question.

“The resident is someone who has sent a lot of emails to councillors and staff and has been openly very critical of all councillors. This is irrelevant though, because no one had ever said that this resident wasn’t allowed to ask questions prior to the meeting.

“We should be a democratic council and accept there are going to be questions – some will be good and some we might not like. We are all in a position of responsibility and have to take the rough with the smooth.

“Cllr Walmsley acted very badly, ignoring calls by other residents, including [Labour] Cllr Jonathan Parry, to allow the resident to speak. This type of behaviour fuels views of secrecy and gives the impression that the council has something to hide, even when it doesn’t.

“We are a council serving residents and voted for by residents.

“It is time to get everything out in the open. The public deserve to know once and for all whether this council is hiding anything, therefore we are calling on Middlewich Town Council to arrange an independent investigation into the council.”

The meeting came to an end following attempts to ask a question made by a resident who – when asked to give his full name – told councillors they could call him ‘Harry’ before giving the name ‘Tom’.

At Monday’s meeting, Cllr Walmsley asked ‘how councillors feel’ about allowing the resident to ask his question.

Cllr Parry said he was happy to hear the question, but his fellow Labour member Cllr Carol Bulman said she would ‘rather not hear it’ – and the resident insisted he would not move from the public gallery until he was allowed to speak.

In response to Labour’s statement Cllr Walmsley, Middlewich First, insists that he acted appropriately to keep the meeting run to the town clerk’s rules.

Northwich Guardian:

“It was with much upset that I had to close the last full town council meeting,” he said.

“I sought advice from the assistant town clerk and other councillors before doing so.

“Councillors are summoned by the town clerk to this meeting – the meeting belongs to the town clerk, it is his meeting.

“The town clerk decides the agenda for the meeting. The meeting is in effect a council meeting held in public, it is not a public meeting.

“The chairman is tasked with overseeing the town clerk’s meeting. Questions raised by members of the public on the night, are heard at the discretion of the chairman overseeing the meeting.

“During the 15 minutes of ‘public open forum’ members of the public can raise any issue relating to Middlewich.

“The item will not be discussed if raised on the night – rather than being given in advance in writing – but councillors may ask questions or seek clarification from the town clerk and person asking the question.

“The chairman has total jurisdiction on the interpretation of the standing orders and the chairman’s decision is final.”

In a statement issued the following day, Middlewich Town Council said that Monday’s meeting was closed as it ‘could not be brought to order’.