A ROW has erupted over whether a mayor broke council rules by refusing a resident permission to speak at a meeting.

Mayor David Cross barred Colin Letchford from asking why the Castle Point Council had not made a safety assessment for a tidal paddling pool at Concord Beach, in Canvey, at a full council meeting.

Instead, the mayor read out a brief summary of his inquiry and when Mr Letchford tried to intervene, he was shouted down.

The question was answered by Tory council leader Pam Challis, who said a safety officer had regularly visited the paddling area, known as the New Pool, when it was being built in 2008.

The council’s constitution allows residents to ask questions of senior councillors during meetings.

However, it does not define whether the question must be read out in full.

Mr Letchford, 63, of Maurice Road, Canvey, said: “My rights as a resident were denied. It’s the principle of the thing.”

Dave Blackwell, leader of the Canvey Island Independent Party, agreed. He said: “I’ve never seen anything like that before in all my years as a councillor.

“Why don’t they want a member of the public to ask a legitimate question?”

Mr Letchford has been a long-term critic of the authority’s leadership. He launched a petition for an elected mayor earlier this year, which failed on a technicality.

A council spokeswoman said: “The decision of the mayor as to the interpretation and application of the constitution, or as to any proceedings of the council, is final and the procedure followed at the meeting was entirely appropriate and proportionate and a full answer was provided to Mr Letchford.”