Police called after council meeting 'pantomime'

Police were called to a chaotic town council budget meeting after its clerk was allegedly subjected to abuse.

Councillors and members of the public exchanged heated comments at the Leigh-on-Sea Town Council meeting in Essex on Tuesday.

The meeting was abandoned early and councillors were sarcastically slow-clapped and heckled as they left the room.

Essex Police said it did not need to attend.

One member of the public described the meeting as "a pantomime".

The Conservative town council chairman Bernard Arscott said: "Our locum clerk was subjected to abuse by members of the public.

"We have a legal duty of care to her and it was her advice to call the police.

"I accept it's not an ideal situation."

Mr Arscott confirmed this upcoming year's budget and the precept, the amount of money households pay the council each year, was eventually agreed in a private, closed session.

Jean de Tourtolon, who was at the meeting, described it as a "pantomime" and said the audience started "booing and slow-handclapping" because residents "felt their questions were not being answered" by councillors.

Lydia Hyde, a Labour Southend-on-Sea city councillor, who also sat in the public gallery, described the meeting as "a shambles".

She told the BBC that 70 local people turned up, which showed the "scale of the anger people are feeling about the way the council is being run".

The Conservatives took control of the council in local elections in May 2023.

Previously, councillors were not politically alligned and stood as individuals or independents.

Mr Arscott told the BBC: "The electors of Leigh voted in a Conservative council.

"There's a vocal minority and lots of bitter ex-councillors unhappy about that."

Essex Police said it received a call to a premises in Elm Road at about 21:15 GMT.

"The information provided to us was assessed for the threat, harm and risk posed and it did not require immediate police attendance," a spokesperson said.

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