FURIOUS Independent councillor Martin Terry is demanding action be taken over eight Southend councillors’ “unprecedented” move to allow them to vote on an issue they could profit from.

Seven Tory councillors and one Independent last week voted to suspend a rule which stops them voting or speaking on an issue which they have a financial interest in. In this case, it is the private rental sector.

Mr Terry compared the move to the Westminster expenses scandal and in a strongly-worded letter of complaint to the Local Government Association, he said: “This decision has set a dangerous precedent as I believe Southend Council is the only council to have granted this at this time.

“The setting of this precedent potentially opens the door to other councillors to follow suit, which has very serious implications, akin to the scandals over MPs expenses at Westminster and could damage regulation within the already problematic private rented sector.

“I do not believe local councillors should be given the right to drive a coach and horses through standards that are there to deal with financial conflicts of interest.”

Mr Terry said he feared councillors might repeat the move over other issues. He added: “I believe decisions of such magnitude should be taken out of the hands of people sitting in judgment upon themselves or their friends perhaps being undertaken by an autonomous outside body such as the LGA. I am seeking the LGA’s advice how this dangerous precedent can be dealt with now to stop this happening and to prevent further copycat actions.”

Southend Council leader John Lamb last week defended the move, saying Conservative councillors would have been prevented from debating the topic on behalf of both landlords and residents in the community.

The eight councillors, who are all landlords, wanted to vote on a bid to introduce licensing and rent caps on landlords. The scheme was voted through for further debate after the councillors were prevented from voting on it because of the rule. In order to vote on the issue in future, the standards committee suspended the rule.

Council deputy leader, Ann Holland, defended the dispensation rule and said it could be used again. She said: “It has always been the case that councillors can get dispensation for things they want to vote on especially if they have some knowledge of it. Some councillors will have a lifetime of knowledge about something and it’s a shame they can’t contribute when they know so much about it. It could happen again but with something completely different.”

l A previous Echo article about this issue misquoted Brian Ayling, councillor for St Lukes ward. Mr Ayling was misquoted in page four of Friday’s edition.

We are happy to clarify that Mr Ayling actually said: “I agree it was a disgraceful decision by the committee and I totally agree with Martin Terry.”