A BITTER row has divided Dartmouth Town Council amid allegat­ions of vote rigging and claims that some senior councillors are lacking the courage to make decisions.

Tempers flared as the town council was electing a new chairman of its finance committee following the death of Cllr Roger Chilcott.

At the height of a debate on Monday, Cllr Les Barnes stormed out of the Guildhall, saying: ‘I’m resigning. This council stinks, Mr Mayor.’

He was closely followed by Cllr Maggie Baillie, who said she was off, too.

Mayor Cllr Rob Lyon said it was a ‘very sad’ episode before giving an ‘absolute assurance’ that no discussion had taken place prior to the meeting that could have influenced the outcome.

The finance committee’s vice chairman Cllr Sue Thomson and Cllr Richard Rendle both polled five votes each in a contest which saw the mayor Cllr Lyon and Cllr Frances Hawke abstaining from the voting.

Cllr Thomson, who was elected to the town council in May, said although she had only attended one finance committee, she believed she could do the job. But she said she didn’t want any ill feeling or for it to become a major issue.

But Cllr Barnes said Cllr Rendle was the more experienced candidate for the position and he was ‘astounded’ that some councillors had chosen not to vote. He said: ‘Cllr Rendle has given 30 years’ service to the town council and knows more than anyone what it takes to chair a committee,’ said Cllr Barnes.

For more on this story, see this week’s Dartmouth Chronicle