A COMPLAINT has been lodged after the deputy leader of Bolton Council was caught on camera at a full council meeting saying: “Who ate all the pies?”

Cllr Linda Thomas was caught making the remark on live-streamed video, the first full council meeting that the local authority has broadcast online.

But Cllr Thomas claims she was ‘ridiculing’ herself, not someone in the public gallery.

She insists it was not a comment about a person who had shouted as she finished her speech on the budget.

The footage shows Cllr Thomas saying “who ate all the pies?” while her microphone was still on as she sat down, following the interruption from the public gallery — which appears to be in reference to the council’s controversial £300,000 grant to Asons Solicitors.

A formal complaint has now been lodged with the council by teacher Angela Neal.

She was watching the meeting at home via the new live-streaming service.

Mrs Neal said the comments made by Cllr Thomas, who is also chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board, demonstrated “a clear lack of respect”.

She said: “My husband and I were watching at home and we couldn’t believe what we heard.

“Then we played it back to make sure we had heard correctly.”

Mrs Neal said: “I don’t have any particular political allegiance, but I think that if you are elected by the people of this town then you should show those people more respect.

“Members of the public have the right to be at these meetings and share their views. These comments demonstrate a clear lack of respect.”

But Cllr Thomas said: “Someone shouted fatty at me. I said it about myself in a self-derogatory way because I thought they meant me.

“I don’t know who shouted it, they could have been thin for all I know.

“I was saying it about myself. I’m a woman of a certain age.

“I dieted and I’m a little bit overweight.

“I’m embarrassed about it and thought someone was having a go at me and I was ridiculing myself.

“Whoever watched it has taken it out of context. It was not a comment about anybody in the gallery, it was a rhetorical remark because I was. It was one-off-the-cuff remark to cover up the embarrassment.

She added: “I think if members of the public watching the live-streaming could hear what is sometimes shouted down from the gallery, they would be quite shocked.

“Most people who come to the watch the meetings in the gallery are well behaved, but there is an element who come and spoil it. I try to deal with it in a humorous way.”

Mrs Neal, aged 47, from Bromley Cross, also claimed it appears that Cllr Nick Peel was heard saying “fatty”, but he denies this and instead said the word “pathetic”.

A spokesman for the council leader, Cllr Cliff Morris, said: “There are a lot of comments being thrown around at council meetings.

“Although these people are political, public, figures that does not necessarily shield them from personal comments made about them.

“There have been a lot of personal comments made towards the leader of the council as well, and it should be remembered that he has not taken any further action about them. We will go through the usual procedures of the complaint process and will have a full investigation into what was said.

“Cllr Thomas was focusing on the speech she was giving. She was heckled, heard a comment that was thrown towards her, and responded with what has been caught on the microphone.

“Emotions run high at these meetings and it was totally in the moment.”

Cllr Peel said: “I have looked at the video and I say ‘pathetic’, not ‘fatty’ or anything like that.

“There were a lot of comments from the public gallery. We heard the word ‘fatty’ and a number of other things, and they are not picked up on the video.”

A council spokesman said: “When a complaint is submitted against any councillor, it will be considered by the monitoring officer, who will then decide whether it should be referred for investigation or any other action.”

The live-streamed meeting was watched by more than 10,000 people from the UK, America, Spain and Portugal — more than 5,300 on the council website and an additional 5,000 on Facebook.

Were you the member of the public to whom Cllr Thomas’ remarks were directed? Contact the newsdesk on 01204 537271 or email newsdesk@nqnw.co.uk