A councillor stormed out of Morecambe Town Hall in extraordinary scenes after being refused permission to speak at a meeting.
Councillor Roger Cleet wanted to talk to Morecambe Town Council after accusing them of breaking laws around publishing the meeting agenda on time.
But in a heated exchange, Councillor Cleet, an independent Lancaster city councillor for Heysham North, was told he himself hadn't followed the rules about letting the council know of his wish to speak and the subject matter.
This row was the latest in a long-running series of issues between Councillor Cleet and the town council.
Afterwards, he said: "It is a sad day when democracy and the right to speak is denied."
The row ignited at the start of Thursday night's meeting of Morecambe Town Council.
Councillor Cleet, from the public gallery at the back of the chamber, declared that he wanted to address the town councillors.
He said this was because the town council had failed to publish the agenda within three clear days before the meeting, either on its website or on signs for the public.
Councillors David Whitaker and Margaret Pattison said Councillor Cleet should be allowed to speak, as a Lancaster city councillor.
But Councillor Russell Walsh, chair of the town council, then said: "Then he should behave like an elected councillor.
"I have a vivid memory of the last time we allowed Councillor Cleet to speak and the contempt he showed for (then chair) Councillor (Claire) Cozler. That was bang out of order.
"You haven't notified us of what you want to speak about, or the content. The same rules apply to you as they do to anyone else."
Councillor Roger Dennison agreed, saying: "He has to follow standard procedure."
After a further exchange of words with Councillor Walsh, Councillor Cleet then left, telling him: "You're a very poor chair."
Councillor Cozler then thanked Councillor Walsh for "backing me up".
Morecambe Town Council standing orders say that "members of the public who are registered local government electors and/or business-rate payers may make representations, answer questions and give evidence at a meeting which they are entitled to attend in respect of the business on the agenda, provided that their primary residence (or business) is within the administrative boundary of Morecambe Town Council".
"Qualifying members of the public who would like to make representations at a meeting must contact the Proper Officer no later than 10am on the day of the meeting to advise both of their wish to speak and the full content (providing a transcript if available).
"Other issues could be raised if written notice of the question/matter is submitted to the Proper Officer 10 working days prior to the meeting and the matter is considered appropriate for the agenda."
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) says that: "Three clear days before a council meeting, notice of its date, time and venue must be posted in a conspicuous place in the parish or community."
A Morecambe Town Council spokesperson said after the meeting: "It’s the notice of the meeting (not the agenda) which is legally required to be published. We posted the full list of times and dates on the website and posted it on the noticeboard in the Town Hall."
Councillor Cleet has provided Beyond Radio with his intended speech, which also raised numerous other concerns he has with the town council, including his request for an internal review by an independent body, their handling of the controversial 'Frontierland tax' issue and the cost of council weeding services to taxpayers.
You can read more about previous clashes involving Councillor Cleet and Morecambe Town Council here.
Row between councillor and Morecambe Town Council has 'cost taxpayers thousands' - Beyond Radio
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