A LONG-serving councillor has sparked outrage and is facing a conduct probe after voting twice for a proposal which was carried by one vote.

Tempers frayed at a full meeting of Ryedale District Council after Councillor John Raper was spotted pressing his voting button, before leaning over to that of an absent councillor, David Cussons, and registering a vote on his behalf.

Cllr Cussons, who sparked a furore in 2013 when he pressed the wrong button on the electronic voting system, giving the go-ahead for a 260-home development at Kirkbymoorside, had left the meeting moments earlier.

Several members gasped, expressed their incredulity and shouted “disgraceful” as the council’s chief executive, Janet Waggott, questioned Cllr Raper over whether he had broken one of the key rules of local democracy.

Coach driver Cllr Raper admitted to the meeting he had voted twice for council meetings to be moved from starting at 6.30pm to 4pm, a move that he had seconded, which led to it being passed by 13 votes to 12.

Councillor John Clark called for the Conservative member, who has served on the authority since 1997 and states on his LinkedIn profile that his role is “representing electorate in council meetings”, to be thrown out the council chamber.

Cllr Clark said: “It is totally unacceptable behaviour in the council. What he has done is called cheating and on that basis I would like to move for the next meeting Councillor Raper is not allowed to vote at all.”

Councillor Luke Ives added: “It’s fraudulent. You saw the hell that was caused at planning committee when a vote was changed [after a wrong button was pressed], let alone voting for another member.”

After second vote on the proposal, from which Cllr Raper was barred from taking part, the proposal was carried by 11-10, but members said the decision was tainted.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr Raper said he was deeply embarrassed by his actions, but he had agreed to help a colleague who had been keen to leave the meeting. He said he had never voted for another councillor before and was considering agreeing to Cllr Clark’s call to be barred from voting at the next meeting.

Cllr Raper, who faced calls to resign last year after posting controversial Facebook messages, said: “I have let everybody down. I have let my voters down.

“Cllr Cussons had said he didn’t mind which way I voted and was still in the room as we went to the vote. Had he been missing for five or ten minutes then it would have been a completely different story.”

Cllr Raper said the Local Government Association had advised that an apology should suffice, adding that his mistake, at 10.45pm, reinforced his point that meetings should be held when members were less tired.

A council spokesman said he was unaware of any Ryedale councillor voting more than once for a proposal previously. He added: “A complaint has been made under the members’ code of conduct. As an investigation is taking place it would not be appropriate to comment further.”