PENDLE'S deputy mayor Councillor Fred Hartley today said he had resigned from the Labour Party after his mayoralty was taken from him.

But the Labour Party said that the decision had already been taken to expel him.

The local Labour party whip was taken from Coun Hartley soon after he was appointed to deputy mayor.

Last month councillors controversially chose Coun Mohammed Iqbal as the borough's next mayor, despite the deputy automatically becoming the mayor for the past 30 years.

Coun Hartley, who has been a member of the Labour Party for 17 years and a councillor for 12 years, said that the reasons given for the removal of the whip were his failure to attend group meetings and failure to give his new telephone number.

But he hit back at the suggestions and said he did not attend meetings because he had been advised not to due to being a witness in a police investigation, which was later dropped by the CPS.

The investigation was into allegations that almost 1,000 votes in the four marginal wards of Bradley, Brierfield, Southfield and Whitefield were issued in the name of electors.

But, instead of going to the homes of the voters, they were sent to a number of 'common addresses' and other misuse of the voting system.

Coun Hartley, who said he will remain a Bradley ward councillor, said: "Once the whip was taken from me I was not eligible to attend the group meeting.

"It was decided at that meeting that Coun Iqbal was to be put forward for mayoralty. Why have I done 12 months as deputy mayor and then, all of a sudden, I am not going to be mayor? I can't stop them but a lot of Bradley residents are appalled at the Labour Party.

"I have had no letter about any expulsion or been in front of any panel in relation to it. I haven't made a decision as to what party I will stand for yet but I will continue to represent Bradley ward.

"If the Labour Party cannot support me how can I support the Labour Party?"

Pendle's next mayor Coun Mohammed Iqbal said: "He was elected as a local councillor to represent the people of Bradley and I believe he failed to do that in the eyes of the Labour Party."

Sheila Murphy, from the regional office of the Labour Party, said: "A letter has been sent to him expelling him from the party. He already had the Labour whip taken from him and he has breached Labour Party rules. He can appeal against it within seven days."