A BLACKBURN race watchdog was today rocked by the resignation of an officer who helped form the organisation 35 years ago and has been a member ever since.

Roy Martin left the Blackburn with Darwen Racial Equality Council less than a month after its chairman, Coun Mohammed Khan, resigned in disgrace following an offer, and acceptance, of a £22,000 job within the organisation.

Mr Martin, a former Labour election agent for long-standing Blackburn MP Barbara Castle, has also refused to take part in the disciplinary panel set up to quiz REC director Abdul Hamid Chowdry over the affair.

And he has sent letters to Susie Parsons, the chief executive of the Commission for Racial Equality, Phil Watson, the chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council and Home Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw to explain his departure.

In his letter, Mr Martin blasts "wheeling and dealing" which he says surrounded elections to the organisation's executive committee at the recent AGM.

And he accused Mr Chowdry, of giving "explicit instructions" that minutes from meetings of the body should not be circulated.

He ended his letter saying: "I am sorry that such a long and happy relationship has now come to an end because of the malpractice of others." Mr Martin told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph: "This is a very sad business. It seems that pressures were put on people in the votes for the executive committee to vote a certain way, and this was responsible for the election of some people to the exclusion of others.

The resignation represents a major body blow for the REC following Coun Khan's resignation. Coun Khan also resigned his job as chairman of Blackburn with Darwen Council's housing committee over the scandal. And his deputy chairman Coun Dave Hollings also resigned as he was one of the people who sat on the selection panel which offered him the job.

Apart from being an election agent for Blackburn MP Barbara Castle, Mr Martin has also a been a magistrate, chairman of governors at Billinge School and also worked as both a consultant and a Principal Cases Officer for the Commission for Racial Equality.

Junaid Quereshi, the new chairman of the REC, said: "It is sad that Mr Martin has resigned. But as far as allegations of wheeling and dealing go the elections were conducted on a democratic basis.

"Roy has made a tremendous contribution over many years to the REC and I am sorry he lost in those elections."

Mr Chowdry said: "Roy Martin has made a number of allegations, but I do not wish to comment on them until the new committee and chairman have had the chance to discuss the issues."

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