Bitter rows and allegations of bullying and political dirty tricks have split Richmondshire District Council for the last two years. Jill Neill reports on the background to events which led to this week's remarkable scenes in the council chamber.

JUST as the beleaguered Richmondshire District Council seems about to draw back from the brink of self destruction, another crisis brews up.

Councillor David Morton's outburst at Tuesday's council meeting, and his subsequent apology, is a sign of the tension which underpins much of the authority's current debate.

The row followed demands for apologies from councillors alleged to have bullied two senior officers, one of whom could launch a six-figure compensation claim against the council.

The bullying row can be traced back to the council's proposed controversial move from Richmond to new headquarters at Colburn.

Two council meetings were abandoned in March last year after hundreds of angry residents protested against the proposed £5m move. Opponents attacked plans to sell land and property in Richmond to fund the project, while supporters said existing offices were cramped and out-dated and Colburn offered the only suitable site for a new building.

Divisions deepened and, in November last year, a game of political musical chairs began with the formation of a new political group on the council, the Independent Coalition for Richmondshire (ICR), which took control of the authority. Tory Councillor John Blackie was ousted as council leader and replaced by Councillor Bill Glover, leader of the new group.

But six months later, the ICR saw defections and resignations, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats banded together to win back control of the authority and Coun Blackie was reinstated as leader.

Accusations of bullying of chief executive Harry Tabiner and monitoring officer Margaret Barry by councillors Blackie, Wendy Morton, Stuart Parsons, John Harris and Sheila Clarke - dubbed the Richmondshire Five - followed their claims that the formation of the ICR was illegal.

This summer, an independent inquiry commissioned by the council concluded that the five were guilty of bullying. But the five accused members alleged the investigation was flawed and one-sided.

In a separate investigation, the Standards Board for England cleared the five of bullying.

In August, members and officers vowed to heal wounds and work together, but the pact was short-lived.

By early December, Mrs Barry had asked to be relieved of her duties as monitoring officer because she felt her position was untenable. She is also considering a compensation claim, which it is feared could cost the council a six-figure sum.

And this week the uneasy truce blew up once again with the remarkable scenes in the council chamber.