Dartmouth town councillors have been accused of acting like despots over two months of secret meetings to decide the future of their own town clerk.

Chris Horan – who has been Dartmouth Town Council's town clerk and chief executive for the last 14 years – has applied to take early retirement on compassionate grounds.

The move is likely to cost the town council something between £50,000 and £70,000 in payments into the county council pension pot

So far the town councillors have said no and whole issue is likely to end up in an in-house grievance hearing.

Since February the issue has been debated at council personnel committee meetings. At last week's town council meeting, councillors voted to keep the public out as they discussed the latest recommendation that the clerk's application should be rejected but allow an 'internal appeal procedure' to go ahead.

The decision enraged town councillor Les Barnes as he declared he knew nothing about the talks which he said had been going on behind closed doors.

'This has been going on for two months. This is supposed to be a new council speaking with one voice.

'Yet here we have two or three councillors acting like despots and making decisions.'

And he added: 'I was elected by this town to be involved and I demand that I am involved.'

Mr Horan, who three years ago was the victim in serious bullying allegations which saw a town councillor banned from holding local council office for three years at a Standards Board hearing, has refused to comment on his application for early retirement or the town council's reaction.

Just four councillors sit on the town council's personnel committee which is chaired by Joanna Gaukroger, although other town councillors can sit in as observers.

When they debated Mr Horan's application in February, the committee recommended that early retirement for staff should only be considered if it was 'cost neutral' for the town council.

And the March meeting went further by recommending that the council should reject Mr Horan's request.

As the council decided to hold their debate on the latest recommendation in secret, Cllr Barnes told his colleagues: 'There are enough closed doors.

'We have had two months of this going on behind closed doors.

'I believe I should know about this because I am a member of this council.

'Proceedings could be following this.'

Personnel committee member Chris Smith told the council: 'This matter is extremely delicate and at this stage can only be discussed in committee.

' The matter is delicate to say the least.'