A COUNCILLOR has been criticised for posting a gorilla picture alongside a comment about a fellow politician on his website.

Conservative Bob Allen uploaded the photo next to comments about Cllr Ebrahim Adia, the Labour Group’s executive member for children’s services.

Cllr Allen said he was fed up with seeing the faces of Labour politicians on the Bolton Council website, labelling it an “ego trip at tax payers’ expense”.

The gorilla picture drew condemnation from Town Hall leader Cllr Cliff Morris, despite Cllr Allen issuing an apology.

“As a council we are working hard to develop community cohesion and promote respect and understanding between communities,” said Cllr Morris.

“Cllr Allen’s blog will only seek to undermine this important work and, at the very least, he needs to apologise at the full council for bringing his party into disrepute.”

The image of the gorilla was last night taken down from the blog, which was posted on the website, blogger, which allows people to post their views on different subjects.

Cllr Allen’s section is called “Tell It To Me Like It Is”. In his post, entitled “Not another Executive member”, Cllr Allen hit out at the council for putting pictures of Cllr Adia and other Executive members on the front page of its website.

He said: “The website is becoming like The Scene (the council’s newspaper), it’s just a Labour ego trip at taxpayers’ expense.”

Cllr Allen, who represents Heaton and Lostock and has been a Tory councillor since 2004, has apologised about the picture, claiming he did not intend to cause offence.

But he said some people were being too politically correct about the matter.

He added: “The whole point of the piece was to highlight the fact that the council’s website always has pictures of the Labour Executive members.

“It was the first picture I got off the internet that looked a bit silly and it certainly was not intended to cause offence to Cllr Adia or anybody else.

“I would have used the same picture whichever councillor I was referring to. I don’t have a problem with Cllr Adia and I will be apologising personally to him.

“I can understand how it looks, but it is being a bit too politically correct.”

Last night, Cllr Allen removed the picture and posted an apology saying: “I should have considered the consequences and for that I'm sorry. I hope Councillor Adia will accept my apologies and that we can discuss the content of the item when next we meet.”

Cllr Adia, who has represented the Rumworth ward since 2002, was not available for comment.

The Leader of Bolton’s Conservative Group, Cllr John Walsh declined to comment on the matter until he had seen the relevant material.