LABOUR bosses have called for new Hindsford councillor Robert Bleakley to resign and 'fight fair' at other election.

The call comes after Cllr Bleakley's apology for his election claims over council housing favouritism for another councillor's grand-daughter.

After a two month investigation by council chief executive Steven Jones and the District Auditor, councillors have been told that Lib Dem councillor's claims are untrue.

The probe started the day Cllr Bleakley beat Labour rival Sam Little in the local elections.

A Liberal Democrat election leaflet claimed a 'housing shocker' and said the matter should be investigated at the highest level.

"Now it's been investigated, Cllr Bleakley if he is a man of honour will resign and contest the election again - perhaps with some truthful literature," said Hindsford Labour agent Charles Hopkinson.

In a report to the Policy Committee, chief executive Jones says:

Cllr Bleakley's unsubstantiated and very serious allegations were published without even the most cursory examination of their voracity

Cllr Bleakley for "weeks rather than days" would not provide any details of the allegations to the chief executive.

only when the external auditor was asked to investigate, what remained as very serious charges of corruption, was some information passed to the External Auditor.

the fact that only now does Cllr Bleakley see the need to issue a public apology itself answers the unwarranted assertions of the Wigan and Leigh Liberal Democrats.

Leader of the council, Peter Smith said Cllr Bleakley's apology was "cheap against the impact of the original publication".

The council have referred the leaflet and another complaint to the Liberal Democrat HQ.

Cllr Smith added: "Once elected, Robert Bleakley is bound by the local government code and I have suggested that his case goes before the new Standards Committee for them to judge. This committee is being set up under the modernisation proposals of the Labour Government to allow full investigation of councillors' behaviour and it will include members of the public."

The Lib Dem councillor is also being asked to pay back to the council any public money spent on the investigation.

Cllr Bleakley's apology says: "It now appears that there is no documentary evidence to support this leaflet and I was wrong to allow it to be published simply on the basis that a distressed resident had told me the story.

"I therefore wish to apologise publicly for any distress which may have been caused to the councillor, the councillor's family or any officer of Wigan MBC and to stress that I do not believe that any officer committed any offence."

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