No rotten tomatoes but plenty of accusations at annual town council meeting

In the event, the meeting in the Community Hall, attended by around 70 members of the public, saw one man storm out, after questioning the parentage of councillors; it saw some councillors wondering if the police should have been there; it saw the brief interruption of the meeting and an 'audience participation' attitude to proceeding at times.

The meeting also saw the deputy mayor, Cllr Keith Francis, declare he would not stand as mayor, because he felt "tainted" by the recent council rows.

At the start of the meeting, Cllr Francis drew attention to the fact that Ledbury was "the first values town in the country", and said the key word for the week, was "empathy", which meant "respecting everyone for their individual skills and qualities".

But the meeting ended with councillors voting to submit a Code of Conduct complaint against Cllr Liz Harvey, for her comments over red white and blue bunting, and for allegedly swearing at a Herefordshire Association of Local Councils (HALC) officer, and against Cllr Andrew Warmington, for allegedly shaking his fist at the same officer.

Before the vote, Cllr Francis spoke against reporting the two councillors, saying: "We should be working together for the future of the town. I have been so disappointed that my efforts for the town have been side-tracked by other issues."

A flash point earlier in the meeting had been the sanctions against Cllr Liz Harvey and Cllr Andrew Harrison.

Allegations of bullying against them, concerning council staff, were upheld by a town council investigation.

Before the meeting, the partner of Cllr Harrison, former town councillor Richard Hadley, had raised the possibility of rotten tomatoes on the Facebook site, Town Talk: Ledbury Politics.

Mr Hadley wrote: "Tonight at the Community Centre, two councillors are being denounced for bullying by Ledbury Town Council. Annette Crowe has let it be known that there will be a 'naming and shaming' and is keen for as many people as possible to come along for the spectacle.

"So if you've got nothing better to do, gather up your knitting, rotten eggs and mouldy tomatoes at the ready and practice your aim."

There were no rotten tomatoes thrown when sanctions against Cllr Harvey and Harrison were read out, but there were cries from the public seats of "shame" and "not democracy - this is appalling".

One member of the public walked out swearing loudly and appeared to question the parentage of town councillors. A female member of the public followed him out, to talk to him, and it was at this point that Cllr Crowe called for the meeting to be stopped until the woman returned, while other councillors questioned whether police should have been requested to attend.

Later, when Cllr Crowe, in her closing speech as major, was highly critical of Cllr Harvey, Mr Hadley shouted: "Look at the vindictiveness on her face!"

Several councillors responded to claims by Cllr Harvey which they felt had questioned the integrity of the council.

In a statement after the meeting, Cllr Harvey said the sanctions against her were "designed to obstruct me from continuing to act in the public interest by highlighting maladministration and misconduct within this council".

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Martin Eager said of Cllr Harvey's accusations: "There are no suspicions as far as I'm aware. Not one pound has been spent inappropriately."

Cllr Tony Bradford said: "If there is evidence, I'd like to see it, and I would go with that person to the police, as I am not corrupt."

In her statement after the meeting, Cllr Harvey said:

"Two thirds of its councillors are under investigation for breaching standards and the councillor code of conduct.

"The council’s operation fails to meet the most basic standard of quality laid down by national governing bodies. I worry the town council will shortly be judged unfit for purpose and is at risk of being put into ‘special measures'."