A CONTROVERSIAL tenants' leader who claims he and his family are being victimised because of a council inquiry is threatening legal action of his own.

Tony Brankin, ex-chairman of Padiham and Hapton area management committee, said his seven-year-old son Wesley suffered a black eye because he was bullied about the inquiry and he claimed he has been physically assaulted twice and regularly verbally abused.

The inquiry, into unsubstantiated expenditure by the committee, was launched 14 months ago and Mr Brankin said he expects to be exonerated.

Then he plans to pursue action of his own, claiming compensation for the council blackening his name.

He said: "In all those 14 months I have never once been approached by a councillor or an officer to ask me a question.

"I have been interviewed by the police on five items of unsubstantiated expenditure but I was able to explain that the council knew about each of them.

"They also asked me about the minibus we were hoping to purchase but because no money changed hands the police said there was nothing to investigate."

Mr Brankin said he understood a new investigation panel was to be agreed at Burnley Council's next meeting and he hoped the inquiry would be concluded in July.

He applied and was elected unopposed to the area management committee, but Burnley Council would not let him take up the position because of the inquiry.

Det Sgt Mark Gray, from Burnley CID, confirmed he had carried out an inquiry into council claims about Mr Brankin and the area management committee, he said: "I found no evidence to substantiate the allegations."

Ian Saville, director of Burnley Council community services, said: "The council is now in a position to begin the investigation but the membership of the panel has still to be determined. It will take a few weeks for the inquiry to be complete."

Mr Saville said the housing committee agreed last week to accept the other nominations to the area management committee but did not accept Mr Brankin's because of the investigation.

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