A COUNCIL leader faces being reported to local government watchdogs after branding an opposition councillor "a liar" at two meetings held on the same day.
Hyndburn's Coun Peter Britcliffe launched an attack on the deputy labour leader, Coun David Myles, in front of the cabinet and later the full council.
The row started when the Conservative member slammed him over a story he sent to the media about area councils controlled by the Tories getting more money per-population than the Labour-run ones.
Coun Myles hit back by stating his information had come from a report sent to the Church Area Council - and that he was not a liar. But Coun Britcliffe claimed the document would have said the funding report had 'provisional' written in it, and was subject to change.
He told his Labour rival: "It was the most irresponsible thing I have ever seen and you didn't even check your facts. You made it up for political gain."
A row then broke out over whether the word 'provisional' was on the report, and Coun Myles demanded: "Are you calling me a liar?" Coun Britclfife replied: "Yes I am, yes I am. You told lies so that makes you a liar."
Coun Myles then stormed out of the cabinet - and returned with the papers presented to the Church council.
The council leader attempted to move on to the next item but Coun Myles returned to present the papers to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, prompting a fresh row between the two.
The funding paper did not have 'provisional' written on it, although officers later stressed it was meant to be confidential. As Coun Myles again left the chamber, Coun Britcliffe said: "Don't forget your walking stick, Coun Myles, you can't walk without it. Are any of your other councillors who tell lies going with you?"
Outside the meeting, Coun Myles said: "I shall be reporting him to the Standards Board for England about this. I am not a liar. I am a lot of things but not a liar and the report I had proves that. I need my stick to walk because I have part of my pelvis in my ankle, and it should have been amputated but I refused."
The row flared up again at the full council last night but was nipped in the bud by the mayor, Coun Win Frankland. She said: "I will not have people calling people liars in here."
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