Last updated at 20:30, Thursday, 16 September 2010

ELEVEN members of the former Broughton Community Council and their clerk will consider legal action against the new parish council after an internal audit report was made public.

Broughton Parish Council held a public discussion in July about an audit, which criticised former clerk Jill Hunter and councillors.

Mrs Hunter, on behalf of herself and ex-members Colin Beck, Anthony Graham, Anthony Burrough, Lynne Wild, Barbara Kennon, Keith Sproat, Billy Graham, Norman Marshall, Maynall Weir, Peter Byrom and Raymond Dobie, wrote to chairman John Wilson, calling for a public apology.

They felt the audit should have been discussed privately because its publication had caused distress to those involved. If there was no apology, the signatories said they intended to take legal action.

The letter was copied to all councillors, the Standards for England investigating officer looking into complaints against three current councillors, borough councillor John Ardron and Workington MP Tony Cunningham.

They have also written to internal auditor Michael Johnson, who wrote the report.

The report said the previous council had suffered a complete breakdown of governance.

The community council ceased in February when 10 councillors resigned.

It was resurrected in May when nine new members joined existing councillors Brian Beck and Brian Lancaster and councillor-elect Vera Sherwood, and has changed its name.

The council is awaiting the results of its external audit, which it hopes will be received next month.

Coun Wilson said: “If the external auditor says ‘you were wrong, the internal auditor was wrong’ we have got to give our full apologies.

“If that doesn’t happen and the external auditor says ‘I agree with the internal auditor’ I’d turn it round and ask if the former clerk and councillors are going to make a formal apology to the public.”

First published at 19:32, Thursday, 16 September 2010
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk