THE chairman of a troubled parish council and a former chairman have resigned complaining about the "appalling behaviour" of colleagues and an atmosphere of hate at meetings.

The move by Stanhope parish council chairman Tom Martin and last year's chairman Harry Irwin follows months of stormy meetings over the sacking of clerk Val Ward.

The pair, with Councillor David Quainton, backed Mrs Ward after a majority of members voted for her dismissal last June.

Last month, an employment tribunal found that Mrs Ward had been unfairly dismissed and ordered the council to pay her £2,686 compensation for lost wages and expenses.

In his resignation letter, which was read out to this week's council meeting, Councillor Martin said: "I have sat through nine months of appalling behaviour by certain councillors, which resulted finally in the complete exoneration of the dismissed clerk and therefore, by association, vindication for myself and my two colleagues.

"Our support for the clerk has been proven in a court of law to have been correct in every sense."

Councillor Irwin said: "The atmosphere of hate at meetings and the deplorable treatment of the chairman makes it impossible for me to work with certain members of the council.

"One councillor stated in front of my wife and myself that Mrs Ward was too clever by half and had to go."

The council agreed to write to both men thanking them for their service.

Coun Quainton later moved to the public gallery after other members voted to silence him when he asked for information on the legal costs to the council of the tribunal hearing.

He said yesterday: "I will not stand down or shut up. I will try to be the voice of the electorate which I don't feel that others are."

Meeting chairman Richard Mews said: "Councillor Quainton refused to stop talking. The issue he raised was not part of an agenda item and I had no alternative than to stop him. It was not something I wanted to do.

"It has been a difficult nine months for us all and now it is time to move on."