The leader of Basildon Labour broke the council’s code of conduct by making defamatory statements about another councillor on social media, a committee has found.

Complaints against Councillor Gavin Callaghan were heard by a joint standards committee on Thursday night.

He was found to have broken the council’s code of conduct by labelling Conservative councillor Chris Jackman a “liar” and a “bent councillor” on social media and has been ordered to make a formal apology at the next full council meeting.

The comments were made in December last year while Mr Callaghan was leader of the council and related to a leak of secret documents to the Echo newspaper about the removal of illegal traveller caravans in Hovefields.

Mr Jackman accused the councillor of failing to treat another councillor with respect, of making defamatory comments and of wrongly accusing him of the leak.

The investigating officer dismissed the false accusation complaint because it does not constitute a breach of the code of conduct but believed there was clear evidence that the other two complaints stand.

She said they had been made in an official capacity because Mr Callaghan used social media accounts linked to his position as a councillor.

“Councillor Jackman indicated he believed the statements did not uphold the law and were defamatory against his character," she said.

"That was emphasised by comments made to the Basildon Echo which stated ‘slow clap for the Echo for protecting a bent councillor’.

Mr Callaghan had refused to cooperate with the eight-month investigation and at one point told the investigating officer he would not be available until November 2022.

He also failed to attend the meeting but submitted a seven-page statement. In it he calls the accusations a “politically motivated attack” that was a “diversion tactic" aimed at stopping his administration for improving Basildon.

He wrote: “I won’t argue this tonight and I haven’t before tonight because I know this is a fait accompli so I won’t waste my time.”

Mr Callaghan's punishment is to make a formal apology with wording that has been agreed by the Joint Standards committee chair, councillor Kevin Blake.

Mr Blake previously complained that the committee has "no teeth" and admitted after the meeting that if Mr Callaghan failed to make the apology the council is only able to bring forward a motion that condemns his actions.

He said: "The council could have gone straight to full council to condemn him but I chose to say I want to be fair and give him the opportunity to apologise, rather than go for the jugular.

"I think it is important for him to be aware that it wasn't just our party that voted for this. There were two Tory councillors, two Independents and one Labour member. Labour did not support it but they also did not vote against it."

The full council meeting will take place on December 6.