NO further action will be taken against Basildon’s Tory councillors due to lack of evidence after confidential information about a travellers site was leaked to the Echo.

Last month, Labour leader councillor Gavin Callaghan reported all 19 Tory councillors to the standard’s committee after a secret document was disclosed. The document revealed councillors decided against taking direct action against unauthorised development by travellers in Hovefields, Wickford.

Tory leader councillor Phil Turner panned Mr Callaghan’s actions as ludicrous. He said: “It was a complete nonsense. This is just Callaghan’s way to bring down our reputation and give himself a headline in the papers.

“We’re a professional bunch of councillors.

“This is just a way for him to divert attention from how the administration is handling the situation in Hovefields. They’re not winning the war on travellers, and they’ve done absolutely nothing to alleviate the plight of Hovefields residents.

“Filing complaints to the standards committee can cost more than £10,000 because you’re consulting with senior management, legal officers and independent monitors.

“He should apologise to residents for wasting tax payers’ money. He’s just been totally inresponsible for messing with tax payers’ money.”

Tory councillor David Dadds, representing Billericay East, said: “When those sweeping allegations happened I spoke to the officers and Callaghan to withdraw the allegations. It’s very objectionable to file serious complaints when you don’t have any evidence.”

Mr Callaghan said: “Officers told me no further action will be taken due to a lack of evidence. But we had a very serious document leaked out to the press regarding the developments in Hovefields.

“This was a breach of data protection. Whoever has done it is not man enough to come forward and admit to his actions. Releasing confidential information to the press is well below the standards that are expected of councillors.

“I urge them to never do it again. We work day and night to try and find a way to handle the Hovefields situation. As councillors they shouldn’t be undermining the reputation of the council. I hope whoever did this will learn their lesson and not make this mistake again.”