LABOUR councillors have been accused of treating the council’s scrutiny process “with contempt”, after five of them left a meeting early.

Councillors David Chadwick, Anna-Marie Waters, Guy Harkin, Noel Spencer, and Debbie Newall all left before the end of Tuesday night’s Environmental Services Scrutiny Committee meeting, to the anger of opposition parties.

Council leader Cliff Morris says there will be an inquiry into why so many councillors left the meeting in Queens Park.

Conservative councillor John Walsh said: “Labour councillors are increasingly treating the council with contempt. For all the cabinet members and a majority of committee members to leave the Environment Scrutiny Committee during discussions on important issues shows their complete disregard for democracy.

“Labour claim that their cabinet system enables transparency and accountability in decision making.

“How can that be when they leave the only meeting when these serious matters can be challenged? Labour’s cabinet members are paid a special allowance to be at such meetings and answer for their decisions.”

Cllrs Chadwick and Watters — who are not committee members, but hold cabinet posts — left to attend another meeting in Westhoughton, before the three committee members followed suit shortly afterwards.

Cllr Chadwick stressed that the councillors had asked permission to leave beforehand.

Cllr Morris said: “I understand that some councillors left because they had other meetings to go to, and sometimes things do clash. We will have an internal inquiry into why they left and ask those questions ourselves.

"There is no contempt for the scrutiny process, but they should not have left.”

Cllr Sean Hornby, UKIP group leader, said he was “disgusted” and put forward a motion, supported by Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, expressing concern at the Labour councillors’ actions, which was successfully passed.

by what had happened and successfully passed a motion at the meeting, which was supported by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, expressing concern at the Labour councillors’ actions.

He said: “While accepting some members may have other meetings to go to, how can we scrutinise the decisions of the Labour executive or cabinet members if they are not there to answer questions?”

Cllr Roger Hayes, Liberal Democrat group leader, added: “It was ludicrous and hardly fair on the council officers.

“There were still important issues to be scrutinised.”