LIBERAL Democrats have forced a meeting of Durham County Council in a row over an appointment to the county's police authority.

In what has been described as a "procedural impasse", the joint committee, the body which makes appointments to Durham Police Authority, failed to rubber stamp the appointment of Liberal Democrat Councillor Dennis Southwell.

Instead, the committee referred the appointment to the county council for its endorsement. Councillor Nigel Martin, the leader of the county council's Liberal Democrat group, said the move was wholly unconstitutional and said the joint committee went against legal advice, which stated that the county council had no jurisdiction in the matter.

Coun Martin recently resigned from the police authority because of work pressure and had nominated Councillor Southwell as his replacement.

Coun Martin, along with other Lib Dem representatives on the county council, has demanded a meeting of the county council on Tuesday, to discuss the matter.

A motion has also been put forward urging the council to resolve that the decision of the joint committee was inappropriate and that the committee should be reconvened at the earliest opportunity to deal with Coun Southwell's appointment.

Coun Martin said "petty party politics" was behind the committee's decision and he pointed the finger at the county council's Labour group.

Last month, Labour nominations for the chairman and deputy chairman of the police authority were defeated at the annual meeting of the authority.

Councillor Anne Wright and her deputy, Joe Knox, were replaced by magistrate Peter Thompson and independent member Elsie Davies, respectively. Coun Martin said: "The refusal of the joint committee to do its job was outrageous. I'm not prepared to let the rights of the Lib Dem group be ridden roughshod over in this way."