SPARKS flew at an explosive council meeting in Bromsgrove, amid calls two cabinet members should resign due to a vote which has ‘brought the council into disrepute’.

Council members clashed in a heated hour-long debate on Wednesday night (November 22) with some calling for Conservative cllrs Karen May and Kit Taylor to quit.

Labour cllr Peter McDonald accused the duo, who also sit on Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet, of following the Tory party whip and abandoning Bromsgrove by voting in favour of county hall’s Local Transport Plan 4.

The plan was unanimously rejected by Bromsgrove district members in April after they agreed it did not address congestion and pollution problems in the town.

Labour cllr Chris Bloore, in his role as chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Board at county council, proposed amendments to the plan at county hall earlier this month, calling for a “suitable bypass” in Bromsgrove to ease congestion and “low emission zones” to tackle pollution.

All three Labour councillors who share district and county council roles - along with Independent Charles Hotham - voted for the amendments, with cllr May and Taylor, who also share twin roles, voting against them.

Cllr McDonald said: “When decisions are made in this chamber for the benefit of Bromsgrove residents, residents then expect them to be honoured.

“The most troubling feature of Bromsgrove is congestion. Residents have been left choking and suffering from air pollution.

“Anyone who can vote one way in this chamber and the opposite at county hall are nothing more than low-bellied hypocrites.

“The fact that they broke that, they should do the honourable thing and chose to resign.”

The motion called on the council to change the constitution to prevent district members from holding cabinet positions at county council.

But the debate quickly turned sour as accusations of “bullying” and “lies” were flung from both Conservative and Labour members.

Cllr May, speaking before she was asked to leave due to having a pecuniary interest in the debate, said: “I have had to sit here for the majority of the evening and listen to some of the rubbish that is coming out at me.

“I have only ever acted in the best interests of Bromsgrove. I have not brought this council into disrepute.

“I was met by cllr Luke Mallett after I came out of the council chamber saying ‘I will take you down’. I want the joe public to see what bullying tactics I’m having to put up with.”

Labour cllr Mallett leapt out of his seat and branded the allegations as a “downright lie”.

He added: “I am hurt by the allegations she makes which are untrue.

“This isn’t about politics. There’s a collective responsibility to this council to make sure our decisions are being upheld and that’s not what happened in this case.

“We have been let down. We voted unanimously in this chamber. We stood firm together. We worked cross-party to push these issues forward, yet we have been undermined.”

Some claimed the motion was an attempt to “rubbish reputations of good-standing councillors”.

Council leader Conservative cllr Geoff Denaro insisted the current LTP4 had been revised from what councillors debated in April, which now meant that "a long term transport strategy is in development for Bromsgrove district".

He added: “I was disappointed to see this motion appear. The members who have been singled out are probably been among the most ardent and vociferous members of this council.

"I believe the documents are sufficiently different for me to advise that I understand why they supported it."

The motion was lost 12 for and 13 against, with one abstention.

Speaking after the meeting, Bromsgrove’s Conservative cllrs hit back at local Labour representatives and accused them of 'play-acting'. 

Cllr May said: “The personalisation and personal attacks are unhelpful, but we can work past it to get the best for Bromsgrove. LTP4 is a document with hooks, opportunities for us where we can make the changes we need.

“We need to work productively, not engage in play-acting in the Council Chamber. Most charitably, Labour’s position is down to a misunderstanding about the draft and amendments process."

Cllr Taylor added: “As we all know, the traffic situation is dire and we need a long-term plan for the town and area. To get this, LTP4 is the way to go: stamping our feet won’t help, but asking for research and calling for further amends will."